Danny and Ann: The Next Generation
by Irish Rose1
Summary: Danny McCawley and Ann Walker have known each other since they were children growing up on Pearl Harbor and as young adults their relationship changes in ways neither are prepared for.
1. Default Chapter

For those of you not familiar with my stories, most of them differ from the movie plot with the exception of Aftermath and Trespasses. In my alternate universe Pearl Harbor stories Danny and Evelyn do not get involved. Evelyn does get pregnant but the baby is Rafe's and Danny does not die in China. In addition, Danny becomes involved with Sandra and they eventually marry.

* * *

Danny McCawley and Ann Walker have known each other since they were children growing up together on Pearl Harbor. They were always aware of the closeness of their fathers who themselves grew up like brothers in Tennessee and as a result the six McCawley and Walker children grew up much the same way, regarding each other as brothers and sisters.

Things would begin to change between Danny and Ann however, as they slowly begin to see each other as more.

This is their story.

* * *

March 1952

Mama asked him to do it.

She didn't ask him very often to do something for her, but he knew how important it was to her that he be a part of her friends wedding.

He'd given his father a hard time about wearing the tuxedo and resisted getting into it. But somehow Danny McCawley thought that he understood and didn't wallop him the way he deserved. Not that Rafe McCawley would have ever laid a hand on his son, but Danny knew he deserved it.

Sarah couldn't wait to get into her dress because Mama asked her to be in the wedding and his sister was excited about it. But Sarah always got excited about things like that.

Dad reminded him that when Captain and Mrs. Walker got married he and Sarah were in _that _wedding as well. It wasn't quite the same though because he and his little sister were the ring bearer and flower girl, not a junior groomsman and a junior bridesmaid. Besides, he could barely remember it.

The reception was at their house and Danny sat on the back porch while the rest of the wedding guests ran after the newlywed couple as they ran to their car. All he wanted to do was change out of his tuxedo and into a t-shirt and dungarees so he could go play baseball with his friends.

As he sat on the sofa and pulled on the bow tie, his mama found him. She sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "Thank you for being such a good boy today Danny."

He looked up at her and she was smiling.

"I know the last thing you wanted to do today was get into a tuxedo and be in the wedding of someone you don't know very well. But it meant an awful lot to Barbara to have you and your sister be a part of her day. And it meant a lot to me too that you would do it."

"Sure." He felt his face flush in embarrassment.

She laughed as she put her arms around him and hugged him. "Why don't you get changed out of that tuxedo now and change into your play clothes." And she looked at her wristwatch. "It's still early and the boys might still be at the ball field."

"That's all right. They're probably gone by now."

"Well, it seems to me that there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" She reasoned with him.

Danny nodded. "If it's all the same to you, I'd just like to go to my room."

His mother looked concerned and put her hand on his forehead. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm feeling fine Mama. It's just that you and Dad got us up so early to take our baths before we had to go over to Captain Walker's for breakfast and get dressed for the wedding. I'm just tired is all."

She still looked worried. "Well, a nap will probably help then. Just make sure to hang everything up. Dad will need to return it on Monday."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Are you sure you're all right son?"

"I'm sure." He nodded as he stood up. "It was a nice wedding and I know how hard you worked to help Mrs. Dearborn."

She stood up next to him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thank you Danny, I appreciate that. If you're interested Dad was thinking about going down to the beach later on. The younger kids have gotten pretty restless and he and Danny thought if they could splash around a little bit in the water, they would settle down."

"Sure Mama." He smiled at her and headed into the house. He glanced out the front door on the way to his room and saw his father and godfather standing together on the lawn and talking with Captain and Mrs. Winkle. Their friend Mr. Harrison was there as well with his wife and they were all smiling.

"They've known each other for a long time." He heard his mother's voice behind him. "Red was your dad's co-pilot and Gooz was Danny's when they bombed Japan in the last war. They all went through a lot together and with the exception of two of the boys, they all came through it."

He turned and looked at her. "Who didn't make it?"

"Billy Harmon. He was killed when Pearl Harbor was bombed and Anthony Deluca. He died when Danny's plane went down after they bombed Japan. In fact, Ann was named for him."

He laughed. "Mama, Ann's a girl. How could she be named for a man?"

She ruffled his hair and smiled. "You're a smart aleck, just like your dad. It was something that Sandra and Danny decided when they found out she was going to have their first child. The truth is they never thought about the baby being a boy or a girl, they just wanted to do that for him."

"Does Annie know about that?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't know that she's quite old enough yet to understand."

"She's a shy kid." He observed.

His mother smiled again. "Honey, she's barely five years old."

"Was I that shy?" He wanted to know.

"A little bit. But the older you got, the surer of yourself you got and you grew out of it."

Danny looked up at her. "Am I really a lot like Dad?"

She laughed and brushed his hair back. "Yes you are and you're as handsome as he is too."

"Mama." He felt his face flush again.

"I'm sorry Danny, I don't mean to embarrass you. But you _are_ a picture of your dad and someday some girl is going to be very lucky to get you."

"A girl?" He was mortified.

His mother laughed again. "It _will_ happen someday and believe me, it won't sound as awful as it does right now."

"I'm going to be a pilot Mama." Danny said as though it would explain everything.

"Of that I have no doubt because you've got flying in your blood, just like Dad." She commented before she hugged him. "One of us will come check on you later, okay?"

"All right, Mama." And he hugged her back.

When she let him go, Danny watched as she walked out to the front porch and met his father on the front lawn. He put his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek as their friends talked. He saw her put her head on his shoulder and Danny knew that it had been a long day for his mother.

He walked down the hall to his room and closed the door behind him. He untied the bow tie that his dad tied that morning and dropped it on his bed. He slipped his arms out of the jacket and hung it on the hanger as his mother requested he do.

There was a knock on his door and when it opened his father was standing there. "Mama said you were goin' to take a nap. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine Dad. Are we going to go to the beach later?"

"That's my plan. It's been a long day for your mama and I think she's lookin' forward to relaxin' for a little while. I know it's been a long day for you too Danny and it sure meant a lot to Barbara for you and your sister to be in her weddin'."

"I'm sorry that I was so bad this morning." He told his father and felt a weight come off of his chest and he sat down on the foot of his bed.

"I know you are son." And he sat down next to him and put an arm around Danny's shoulders. "I know that you would rather have been playin' baseball today and I don't blame you for bein' a little ornery. But you did as your mama asked and that squares it in my book, all right?"

"Thanks Dad." And he put his arms around his father and hugged him.

He could feel the rumble of laughter from his father's chest as he held him. "You are just like your mama."

Danny smiled because for the first time that day really felt like it. "_She_ says I _look_ just like you."

"That you do son, but it's what you're like on the _inside_ that's more important. And that's where you're just like her."

"She said that some girl was going to be very lucky to get me." And he shook his head.

His father laughed. "Well if she's anythin' like your mama, you'll be a very lucky fellow. But there's plenty of time for that, you ain't even ten yet."

"But I _won't_ have time for that Dad. I want to be a pilot."

"Son, you _can_ be a pilot and have a girl too. It ain't impossible you know."

"But what if I don't _want_ a girl?"

"Danny, when your older and you meet the right girl flyin' won't seem quite so important any more."

He wrinkled his nose at the thought of a girl being more important than flying and his father laughed again. "I know it don't seem possible right now but there _will_ come a time and you'll know without a doubt in your mind."

"The way you knew with Mama."

He nodded as he stood up. "The way I knew with Mama. Now I'm sure she told you to hang up that tuxedo of yours when you change."

"Yes Sir, she did."

"All right then." And he walked to the door. "Rest well son."

"Thanks Dad." And he stood and watched his father leave the room and close the door behind him.

A girl more important than flying?


	2. Introducing Caroline

September 1959

Sarah asked Ann to meet her after school.

For the twelve-year-old, who began the seventh grade at King Kamehameha Middle School that morning being able to go to Pearl Harbor High School made her feel very grown up.

Ann knew that Sarah McCawley looked at her as a younger sister because she didn't have any sisters of her own. She was the middle child and the only girl. Ann and her younger sister and brother grew up two doors down from Sarah and her older brother Danny and younger brother Joseph.

She couldn't remember a time when her family and Sarah's didn't do just about everything together. If it wasn't a ballet or piano recital, baseball game or a swim meet they would go to the beach on Sunday's and have a picnic. Her father, Major Daniel Walker and his best friend and Sarah's father Major Rafe McCawley had been stationed at Wheeler Air Force Base for as long as Ann could remember.

She knew well the stories of how Sarah's parents met and how Major McCawley was shot down twice during the Second World War. She loved listening to how her own parents met in 1941 and how they waited through a whole war to get married. She couldn't think of anything more romantic than that.

Ann stood in front of the school and waited for the three o'clock bell.

When it finally rang, she watched as the front doors to the school opened and the students began to stream through them. She looked intently for Sarah all the while hoping she didn't look like a middle school kid.

"Annie!" She heard her friend's voice and looked up to see Sarah with her brother and a girl she'd never seen before. "So how was your first day of school?"

"Fine. I'm not sure about my Algebra class though." She admitted.

"Math has always been your strong suit Annie." Danny smiled at her. "So I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'll be doing Algebra II Danny and I don't think it's going to be that easy." She frowned.

"Well, Mr. Wizard if it's so easy you can help her if she needs it." Sarah laughed. "You breezed through Geometry and Calculus so this should be a piece of cake for you."

Danny put an arm around Ann's shoulders. "If you need any help just ask, okay?"

"Thanks, I'll probably need it." She sighed.

"Daniel, will you take me home please? If I have to spend one more moment in this place, I'll go mad." The blond said.

Ann saw Danny glance at his sister and she was none too pleased. "Just tell me where you live." He sighed.

"We live at Wheeler, I told you that." She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "It's certainly not as nice as Eglin was, but it'll do until I graduate." And she began to walk toward the student parking lot.

"I'll see you at home." Danny's face flushed and as he juggled his schoolbooks and presumably the blonds as well walked away to catch up with her.

"Danny!" Sarah called after him. "He was going to give us a ride home, the rat. That's one of the reasons I asked you to meet me here. Danny bought a '55 Chevy last weekend and he was going to let me ride in it."

"Why would he buy a four-year-old car?"

"Because he can't afford a new one. Dad helped him with the down payment, but now he has to come up with the monthly payments himself. Between football, ROTC and working after school and weekends bagging groceries at the Oahu Market, he needed his own car to get around."

"Has he heard from the Air Force Academy?"

Sarah shook her head. "Not yet. He had to have all of his paperwork turned in at the end of June so they would have time to decide who's going to be admitted next fall. Danny says it's probably going to be around Thanksgiving before he knows anything."

"What's he going to do if he isn't accepted?" Ann asked.

She laughed. "You know Danny. If he isn't admitted for next fall, he'll try again for the fall after that. My brother is bound and determined to get to the Air Force Academy and he'll do what he has to, to get there."

They began to walk and Sarah sighed. "I guess it's the bus." And they headed toward a line of busses that waited in front of the school. "So aren't you the least bit curious who the girl is?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not really."

"I don't like her."

That made her laugh. "That's pretty obvious."

"Her name is Caroline Harris and her dad is a pilot who was transferred from Eglin Air Force Base a couple of weeks ago. She's an only child and has already made it very clear that she doesn't want to be here. She said that as soon as she graduates, she's moving to New York."

"What's so terrific about New York?" Ann wondered.

Sarah smiled at her. "Don't you remember the stories about our parents going to New York? They had dinner at a swanky hotel, went to a nightclub for drinks and chipped in for a two-room suite."

"It can't beat Hawaii."

"Now how would you know that, you've never been there." Her friend observed. "I would _love_ a chance to go to New York."

"I can't think of any place nicer than where we live right now." Ann said.

"You sound just like Danny. If he didn't want to go to the Academy so badly, I don't think he'd ever leave Hawaii."

She smiled. "Come on Sarah, can you honestly say that you'd want to live anywhere else but here?

"I never said anything about _living_ anywhere else, but having the chance to _see_ someplace else is another thing." Sarah told her.

"I always thought it would be kind of fun to see that nightclub where my parents met." Ann admitted. "He and Mama were both so shy, it's a wonder that they ended up getting married."

"I've heard Dad and Mama talk about that too and Dad said that he never met two people that were more right for each other than them."

Ann smiled at her friend. "I've heard my parents say the same about _yours_."

"Do you ever think about how lucky we've been?" Sarah asked. "We haven't been like a lot of military families that have been transferred from one end of the country to the other..."

"Or one country to another."

"Or one country to another." She laughed before she continued. "We've been able to stay in the same place while we've been growing up and I've always been grateful for that."

"So have I."

"Hey girls, how'd you like a ride home?"

Ann looked up and saw Danny standing next to his car.

"What happened to Caroline?" Sarah asked him.

He shrugged. "She got a look at my car and said she'd rather take the bus."

The two girls looked at each other and Sarah was frowning before she looked at her brother and put a smile on her face. "Well I don't know about her, but I'd rather ride in any car than have to take the bus."

"Well then get a move on, I haven't got all day." He said with a grin as he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. Sarah got in and Ann got in next to her before Danny closed the door. "So what do you think Annie? Do you mind being seen in my old car?"

She looked at him and smiled. "It's better than the bus."

"Good answer." He smiled back and laughed before he walked around to the driver's side and got in. He closed his door and started the engine. "She may not be new, but she runs like a dream."

Ann and Sarah looked at each other again and Sarah mouthed, "She?" as Danny pulled away from the curb and headed for home.


	3. Not Much Of A Christmas

December 1963

The celebration was subdued in spite of the fact that Danny was home with his family.

He was happy to be spending two weeks at home in the sun and warmth of Hawaii because it was better than the cold and snow of Colorado where he was in the middle of his senior year at the United States Air Force Academy.

He had been in the top ten percent of his senior class of Pearl Harbor High School and given his Academy admission in the award presentation before the diplomas were given to the students from the Class of 1960.

His departure to the Academy that fall was the first time he left Hawaii for any extended period of time since he and Sarah came back from Tennessee in 1951. It was hard to say goodbye to his sister and brother Joseph, but saying goodbye to his parents was doubly difficult. He knew how proud of him they were because he achieved a lifelong dream to train to be an Air Force pilot like his father. But he also knew it was hard for them to watch him go.

The nation was still in shock and in mourning because the president had died the month before after being shot. President John Kennedy was only forty-six and Danny wondered at the time as he watched the funeral unfold on television what was going to happen.

He sat with his parents, his sister and brother in front of the tree on Christmas morning and opened presents. Bob Hope was on the radio as his show was broadcast from Vietnam where he was entertaining the troops. The United States was headed into another war and Danny knew that as the escalation of troops continued it was only a matter of time that he would have to join in the fray.

It wasn't something he gave much thought to when he entered the Academy but his dad felt the same way when he'd joined the Air Corps in 1939. He only wanted to fly.

His mother sighed as she stood up with her coffee cup in her hand and headed toward the kitchen. "It can't be much of a Christmas for Mrs. Kennedy or her children."

Danny looked at his father and for the first time noticed the gray which had crept into his sandy hair and suddenly he looked older.

"Your mama took it real hard." He said quietly. "I think it was harder than President Roosevelt dyin' because he was an old man worn down by a long war."

"And President Kennedy was the same age as you." Joseph observed.

"That he was son."

"Maybe she's thinking about _you_ and how she almost lost you twice." Sarah added.

"It's not the same thing." Danny frowned at his sister.

His father looked at him and stood up. "No, it ain't the same thing Danny. But your sister has a point so I'd better go talk to your mama." And he walked to the kitchen.

"What was _that_ about?" Danny asked his brother.

"Think about it." Joseph answered him. "The first time Dad was shot down Mama thought he was dead and the second time she was all alone here with me. I agree that it's not the same thing as what happened to Mrs. Kennedy, but she knows what it's like to be without her husband."

"It's too bad the bastard who killed him was killed himself. Now we'll never know why he did it." Danny said.

"You know what Gramps says; 'He'll have to answer to the Almighty for what he did.' " Sarah told them.

"You really think he'll be headed in that direction?" Joseph asked them. "If it were up to me, he'd be headed the other way."

"That's not for us to say Joseph." Their mother said as she and their father walked back into the living room.

"Yes, Ma'am." He said and Danny saw his brother's face flush.

They sat back down on the sofa and his father sighed. "What happened last month was a terrible thing. And as hard as it's been for all of us, we've got Danny home for two weeks. We don't get to see him the way we want to so I'd like it if we don't talk about this for the duration. Justice has been done, maybe not the way we would have liked but it's been done."

"Yes, Sir." Danny, Sarah and Joseph answered.

It seemed an eternity as the McCawley's sat and didn't talk. It was a hard thing to accept that the president was gone, but Dad was right and Danny decided to try and lighten the mood. "So what are the plans for later?" He asked to no one in particular.

His mother looked relieved at the question and smiled. "The same thing we do every year, Danny. Your godfather and his family will be coming over, Red and his family and Barbara and hers. Everyone brings something for potluck and leftovers go home."

"We do it that way so that your Mama won't feel like she has to spend her whole Christmas day in the kitchen." His dad added.

"Well, that's only fair Dad." Sarah smiled. "She always spends her Thanksgiving Day in the kitchen."

He grinned back at his only daughter. "Your mama don't spend all day in that kitchen by herself young lady. Someone has to keep an eye on that bird."

His mama laughed softly and looked at him. "I remember one Thanksgiving when you were just over a year old and Sarah was almost two months old. We were living in the other house and it was the first Thanksgiving where all the boys were home. Dad and I had everyone here for dinner and he and your godfather were in the kitchen making faces at you and your sister. And all the while he was supposed to be keeping an eye on the turkey."

"And as I recall, that bird turned out just fine."

She smiled. "Yes it did."

"You missed a lot of holidays, didn't you Dad?" Danny asked.

"I missed a few, but I always felt lucky that I was able to be home as much as I was. I had a few conversations with Mama about that and how so many of the boys were overseas and didn't get to come home at all. I always appreciated the fact that I could."

"I wonder if I'll be that lucky." He wondered out loud.

"Son, if you're lucky this thing in Vietnam will settle down soon and you won't have to find out." His dad answered him. "War ain't a pretty thing and I went through _two_ of them."

"And I went through them _with_ you, don't forget. I certainly don't want to watch my son go as well." His mother frowned.

"We may not have much to say about that Evelyn."

She nodded. "I know that Rafe, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"Ain't much more we can do." He agreed.

"You're right about that."

"Well, ya'll it looks as though Santa was real good to us this year." Danny smiled at his father's mention of the Jolly Old Elf. "So now why not be good to your mama and pick up your cups and dishes and take them into the kitchen."

"Yes Sir." They answered and after picking up their dishes, walked into the kitchen. Danny directed his sister and brother to put them in the sink. He turned on the tap and began to wash them up. He felt it was the least he could do because he knew in spite of the potluck later that afternoon, Mama would be in the kitchen anyway.

"Danny." He turned to see Sarah motioning him toward the kitchen door.

He stood back with them and watched as his parents stood in front of the tree and held each other. He'd never really seen them kiss before and the passion of it surprised him. He knew that they loved each other but always thought that when people got to be their age, they didn't kiss like newlyweds.

But what did he know? His long distance relationship with Caroline Harris was rarely passionate when they were together and on those particular occasions, it was always on her terms. She'd never been to see him at the Academy and he'd never been invited to New York. She'd bolted for the Big Apple the day after graduation and except for the obligatory trips back to Hawaii to see her parents she didn't look back.

He had to admit that he didn't miss her much. But he chalked it up to his class schedule and flight training that didn't leave him much time for brooding. His academy classmate always gave him a hard time about the lack of mail from her but he didn't really notice that either because he got so much from home.

He supposed it should bother him but it didn't because he held no illusions about the kind of girl that Caroline was.

What _did_ cross his mind on the rare occasion that he had some time to himself was his future with her. He didn't have any real idea of what her life was like in New York because she didn't tell him much in her rare letters. And while she'd never made any noise about ending their relationship, she'd never asked for an accounting of where they were going.

He shook himself out of his musing to touch his sister and brother on their shoulders and motion them back into the kitchen. "Come on you two, they don't need an audience." He said before he walked back to the sink to finish the dishes and give some more thought as to what he was going to do about Caroline.


	4. Another Beautiful Day On Oahu

Spring 1964

The McCawley's had been on pins and needles for days, waiting.

Danny called his parents from Colorado the previous weekend to let them know that he was about to take his qualifying test flights. After working so hard and for so long, it would come down to a series of solos that would show his instructors what he learned over the last four years.

Ann was kept apprised of what was going on through Sarah and knew that they should receive word at any time.

"Unless he doesn't pass." Sarah worried as they walked on the beach near the shoreline and then stopped. "Annie, what if he doesn't pass?"

Ann stopped next to her and took her hand for a moment. "You worry too much Sarah. I don't know how many times I've heard your dad say that Danny has flying in his blood. It's the only thing he's ever really wanted to do and I have no doubt that he's going to become a pilot." And she continued to walk up the beach.

The warm water washed over her feet and Ann hoped that she sounded more confident than she felt. Danny could be the best pilot at the Air Force Academy, but all it might take for him to be denied his wings would be a series of bad flights. She knew Sarah was aware of that and she wasn't about to give voice to it.

"Does Caroline know that he testing?" She asked instead.

"Danny told me that he called her to tell her and that she didn't seem particularly impressed."

"I don't understand why they're still together. You've said yourself that they miss each other more than they see each other." Ann observed.

"She's got him on a string that's why." Sarah frowned.

"I don't understand."

She sighed. "My brother is her insurance policy because I don't believe for one second that she's back in New York being the faithful girlfriend."

Sarah's frankness surprised Ann. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Caroline Harris fancies herself as some kind of New York socialite and those kinds of girls don't stay home and pine for their long distance boyfriends, even if they _are_ at the Air Force Academy."

Sarah McCawley was one of the nicest girls that Ann ever knew and in the years they'd grown up together, never heard her say a bad word about anyone. But Caroline proved to be the exception because Ann never heard her say anything _nice _about her. It started during Sarah's junior year after Caroline transferred to Pearl High and it went downhill from there.

Ann also knew that Sarah wouldn't dislike Danny's girlfriend so much if she didn't have a reason. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Do I need to draw a picture? She neglects him." She answered as though Ann weren't aware of it.

"That's always been obvious Sarah. I've overheard your parents talking to mine about it and they aren't too happy about the situation either."

"Mama would never say it, but I don't think she likes Caroline very much. She's always polite to her even though Caroline doesn't always show her the same courtesy."

Ann nodded. "I know. Your dad has had more than a few choice words about her."

Sarah looked surprised before she laughed. "And how would you know that?"

Ann smiled back. "You forget that my bedroom window faces the backyard and my desk is under the window. Sometimes, when I'm doing my homework and our dads are by themselves on the back porch talking, I can hear them and your dad says exactly what he thinks. And he doesn't think too highly of her."

"I wonder if Mama knows."

"I'm sure she does. Your parents seem to tell each other everything, just like my parents do."

Sarah nodded. "You're right about that. They've always tried to set a good example for us by not speaking badly of someone in front of us. I guess I just never thought that they would be so frank with each other."

"You told me not long ago how you, Danny and Joe saw your parents _really_ kissing last Christmas. They're different people when it's just them and I forget that sometimes."

"And when it's just them, they aren't just our parents." She nodded again. "You're a smart girl Annie, I hadn't thought of it that way."

Ann shrugged. "If I hadn't heard them talking I probably wouldn't have either. But if my mother knew I heard them, she'd be mortified."

"I won't tell anyone, don't worry." Sarah promised.

"And you still haven't told me anything."

She looked at Ann. "It's nothing I can put my finger on, just a feeling."

"And what is it that you're feeling Sarah?" Ann was becoming increasingly curious.

"One of the girls that I graduated with got accepted to NYU and we've kept in touch since she left Pearl Harbor. Anyway, she told me that she's seen Caroline out with the same man several different times over the last couple of years and Fran seems to think it looked pretty serious. But she also said that Caroline looked pretty unhappy."

"Maybe she misses Danny."

Sarah looked at Ann as though she's said something silly and shook her head. "I don't think so."

"So what _do_ you think?" Ann wanted to know.

"I think Danny is a dupe. I think that he's so busy with his last year at the Academy that he doesn't know which end is up. And knowing that he's so focused, Caroline is using that to her advantage."

"And you think she's cheating on your brother." She stated.

Sarah couldn't seem to say it and only nodded her head. The silence was deafening, as the old saying went and Ann didn't know what she could say to disabuse Sarah of the notion that Danny's girlfriend was being untrue. Mostly because she didn't believe it herself.

Caroline Harris was a girl who went after she wanted, when she wanted it and the consequences didn't matter. She'd done it in her pursuit of Danny and now it appeared as though someone in New York had caught her eye.

"Do you think she's holding on to Danny because this guy she's seeing isn't available?" Ann didn't know exactly where the thought came from, but it all seemed to fit and it made sense to her.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Sarah answered and gave Ann the impression that at some point it had crossed her friend's mind as well.

She looked up the beach then because it looked as though someone was trying to get their attention. They walked away from the surf and began to walk up the beach toward the road. It was then she heard the voice of her sister Shelby. "Sarah, your parents want you home. Danny's on the phone and it sounds like good news."

As soon as they hit asphalt, Sarah ran up the road toward the house and left Ann and Shelby behind. "You looked so serious coming up the beach." Shelby commented. "Is everything okay?"

"She's been waiting for that phone call to see how he did with his test flights." She told her sister. "Major and Mrs. McCawley have been waiting for days to hear what happened."

"I heard Dad and Mama talking about it and they were feeling bad because there wasn't anything they could do. But that isn't what I meant."

Ann smiled because she knew what was coming next.

"You were talking about Caroline weren't you? Every time Sarah mentions her she gets this look on her face." Shelby observed.

She wouldn't betray Sarah's confidence but Ann knew her sister wouldn't let it go until she told her something. "We _were_ talking about Caroline and this long distance relationship she has with Danny."

"It was more than that." Shelby persisted.

"It was, but that's all I'm going to tell you. Sarah tells me things because she knows I won't repeat anything, even to my nosey sister." She said with a smile before she put an arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

"I'm not nosey." She said defensively. "I'm curious."

"You're nosey, but that just means that you'll be a great reporter or a detective." Ann laughed.

Shelby looked up at her. "You really think so?"

"I know so." She replied as they as they walked back to the house to hear the news about Danny.


	5. Lieutenant Danny McCawley

Lieutenant Daniel Rafe McCawley.

It was something that he was still getting used to even though he could look at the hard earned pilots wings on his new Air Force uniform and see the realization of a life long dream. The uniform he wore was one of many that were issued to the freshly minted Lieutenants, as they prepared for their first assignments out of the Academy.

He graduated on a warm June day in 1964 and it made his day that much more special that his family was there to see him receive his commission and his wings. They were there every step of the way for him and never once did his parents ever tell him that what he wanted wasn't possible. They always encouraged him to keep studying, even when it was difficult to do so sometimes and he didn't know how many Sunday picnics he turned down so that he could get some extra study time in.

His most challenging subjects at Pearl High were his advanced math classes and it took all of his concentration to understand the concepts. It helped when he and his father would go up in a decommissioned P-40 that the base kept for training purposes. He was seventeen before his father allowed him to go up by himself and solo in the old war bird and it was then that physics and calculus made sense to him.

As he stood with his roommate and fellow pilot in their room on graduation day with their base assignment letters in their hands, he wasn't sure if it was disappointment or relief he felt that Caroline wasn't there. He'd sent her an announcement a month earlier and as he should have expected, she couldn't find the time to come out. She explained in a short letter that there was some big social occasion that she couldn't miss and wouldn't be able to make it to his graduation.

Newly commissioned Lieutenant Henry Metcalf put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "I don't know why you're letting it bother you so much Dan, it's no different than the last four years. She never did find the time to come back here and see where it was you went to school. Your parents always came back to see you at least once a year and even that pretty sister of yours managed to make it a couple of times."

Danny smiled. "She really made an impression on you today, didn't she?"

He saw his friend's face flush and wondered what Hank wasn't telling him. "She sure grew up in the last four years."

"She seemed to think the same about you too."

He looked startled. "What did she say?"

Danny grinned. "It wasn't what she said, it was what she _didn't_ say."

"What in the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Sarah is blunt and Mama says she gets that from our Grandpa McCawley. She doesn't worry about what people think except when someone has gotten her attention. I saw it happen when we were at Pearl High and whenever there was a certain guy that she was interested in she would tend to clam up."

"Do you think she's interested in _me_?" He seemed surprised by that.

"There's only one way to find out you know. My family isn't going to leave until the day after tomorrow, so why don't you use some of that nerve that gave our instructors' more gray hairs than they wanted and ask her out for coffee."

"Coffee."

"Why not? Asking her out on a date seems to have you rattled. So if you go for coffee it's not really a date and then you have a chance to talk to her and see if you want to get to know her better."

"This is coming from a guy who saw more of his family than his girlfriend in the last four years." Hank shook his head.

"Well long distance or not, at least I _had_ a girlfriend." Danny shot back. "You didn't strike me as the type of guy who would be shy around girls when I met you four years ago, but you proved me wrong."

"You have a short memory McCawley. I _did_ have a girlfriend when I first got here."

He smiled. "And then you got a 'Dear Hank' letter a week before sophomore year."

"That I did, but I understood why. Unlike Caroline, Melissa wasn't happy with a long distance boyfriend or a long distance relationship and I knew we were headed for a breakup before I came back from summer leave. She was the brave one because she had the nerve to actually do it."

"I don't know what in the hell to do about Caroline." Danny sighed.

"Yes you do, you just don't have the nerve to do it. Even Evelyn wasn't enough for you to call things off." Hank observed.

"She wanted me to stay here even though I told her that I didn't have any control over where the Air Force sent me and it didn't help that she had the same name as my mother."

"I know that made things awkward for you, but she seemed to really go for you."

"I liked her too, but the fact was that I had a girlfriend."

Hank sighed. "I never thought being honorable would be such a terrible thing. But you used it to get out of breaking up with a girl who was never much of a girlfriend and give another girl a chance that could've made you happy."

Danny sat down at his desk. "The truth is Hank, as much as I did like her she was a distraction. I worked a long time to get here and the last thing I wanted was to get involved with someone because I needed all my concentration for my studies and my flying. It's true that Caroline never came back when I kept inviting her, but if she had come she wouldn't have been very happy or too impressed for that matter."

"So are you going to call it quits once we get posted?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I want to get settled in before I can think about that."

"You didn't answer my question." Hank persisted.

"It would be the logical thing to do."

"Dan, why are you so lukewarm to the idea of breaking up with her?" He seemed puzzled for a moment and then looked horrified. "Don't tell me that you're actually in love with her?"

"You know I'm not and I don't think she loves me either." Danny admitted.

"Then why the pretense?"

"It just hasn't been important enough to deal with, that's all. And it seems that she's felt the same way because she's never told me she wants to break up."

Hank sat down next to him at his own desk. "We're not kids any more. We worked damn hard to earn our commission and our wings and we have to be adults now. You're going to be twenty-two in September and you decided to make the Air Force your career when you accepted your appointment to the Academy. You know as well as I do that you'll have to make split second decisions when you're in the cockpit and it puzzles me why you can't do it on the ground."

He tried to lighten his friend's serious mood. "I don't have my life in my hands on the ground."

"Maybe not your life, but you do have your future in your hands. And it seems to me that it's going to go one of two ways. You're going to end up marrying someone you don't love because you can't tell her how you feel. Or, you're to break things off with her and give some other girl a chance. Who knows, she might be right under your nose."

"In case you haven't noticed, this campus isn't exactly teeming with females."

"I don't mean _here_, smart-ass. I mean when you get to your new post." Hank looked at him with feigned disgust. "There will most certainly be females there and you need to take advantage of your newly earned status as an Air Force pilot."

"Says the guy who won't ask my sister out."

Hank sighed dramatically. "All right, I'll ask her to have coffee with me."

Danny nodded. "And I'll do something about Caroline."

"Preferably before you marry her McCawley." He grinned.

Danny shook his head and smiled back. "Let's go Lieutenant. We've got family waiting for us downstairs." And he got up from his chair and headed to the door before he stopped and looked around the room. "It's hard to believe that we won't be coming back to this room next year."

Hank got up from his own chair and walked over to Danny. "If it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't have gotten through freshman year."

"If it hadn't been for _you_ I probably wouldn't have gotten through _sophomore_ year, so I'd say we're even."

"Hey, McCawley! Your family is downstairs waiting with Metcalf's family so get your asses down there!" The voice of their cadet squadron leader carried down the hall.

The two friends grinned at each other. "That I won't miss." Hank grinned as he threw an arm around Danny's shoulders for a moment. "Let's go Lieutenant."

And they left the room to go meet their families.


	6. Danny Comes Home

It was an experience that she would never forget.

Ann Walker and her family were part of the large contingent that made their way to Colorado to see Danny McCawley graduate from the Air Force Academy and receive his commission.

Even though she lived on an Air Force base, Ann couldn't remember seeing so many uniforms in one place and she couldn't remember Major and Mrs. McCawley ever looking so proud either. She sat next to Sarah during the graduation ceremony and the older girl squeezed her hand as Danny's name was called. When he presented himself to the commandant of the Academy his pilot's wings were pinned on his breast pocket and his assignment was announced.

Danny was coming home.

She overheard him tell his Grandfather McCawley later that day that it was a one in a million shot that he would get posted to Wheeler and he didn't know how he could have been so lucky. His grandfather told him that _he_ believed it was always in the cards for Danny to return to Hawaii, just as he did as a young boy.

She was impressed, to say the least as Danny and Hank took their families around the campus and showed them the different places they had frequented during their four years there. It looked just the way she thought a college campus would look and not a military academy.

"So what do you think of the place Annie?" Danny asked her as he put an arm around her shoulders as they walked.

She smiled at him. "It doesn't look the way I thought it would. I can see why you liked it so much here."

"It was a great place to be, but it sure can't beat Hawaii." He smiled back. "And just when you thought you'd seen the last of me, I'm coming home." His smile turned into a grin.

"Just as long as you don't let those pilot's wings go to your head, I won't mind." She shook her head in amusement.

"Don't worry about that Ann." Hank told her with a smile. "I'll keep him in line."

"That's good to know because someone has to." She smiled back at him.

He grinned. "I like her Dan, she says what she thinks."

She looked up at Danny and tried not to laugh. "I've never heard anyone call you Dan."

"You'll be hearing it a lot more once we get to Wheeler." Hank commented.

"I really think you'll like it there." She observed.

"I think he'll like being stationed in Hawaii, period." Danny laughed.

"That too." Ann smiled back and noticed for the first time that his eyes sparkled when he laughed and she felt an odd tightening in her chest. She decided that her response was to what he wore because she had always heard that there was something special about a man in uniform.

The only other time she'd seen him in uniform was when he was part of the ROTC at Pearl High but it wasn't something she remembered noticing at the time. But she also knew that it was probably because she saw him every day.

"Hey Annie, where'd you go?" She heard the amused voice of Danny as he gently shook her shoulders.

She looked up at him again and smiled back. "All these uniforms are making my head swim."

"Is there any one in particular?" Sarah smiled at her as she walked next to Hank and caught Ann's eye. She knew that Sarah had observed what happened and also knew she wouldn't hear the end of it.

"It's my cologne, isn't it Ann?" Hank grinned and she wondered if he saw it too. "Kind of knocks you for a loop doesn't it?"

"In your dreams."

Danny laughed again. "She's going to keep you in line too, Hank."

"With my help." Sarah added and grabbed Ann's hand for a moment.

"So I get _two_ pretty girls and Dan only gets one."

"But that one girl is Annie." He shot back at his friend with a grin of his own, his arm still around her shoulders.

"Danny, that's enough now." Mrs. McCawley admonished from behind them. "You're embarrassing Ann."

He looked down at her and that sparkle was still there. "Am I embarrassing you Annie?"

"A little." She said and felt her face flush.

"I'm sorry." He told her, but he didn't look the least bit sorry.

The look Ann gave him told him that she didn't believe him, but didn't say anything as they approached the senior dormitory and Danny took his arm from around her.

"Home Sweet Home." Hank quipped as he and Danny opened the front doors and waited for their families to enter the lobby. As they followed the new pilots up the stairs, Sarah put a hand on Ann's arm and stopped her. "We'll go up in a minute but I wanted to ask you something."

__

Here it comes.

"Is it my imagination or did you just notice my brother?" She asked with a smile.

"Notice what?"

"Don't be evasive Annie, you know exactly what I'm talking about." Her smile got wider. "I have to admit that I never thought about you and Danny. But when he had his arm around you..."

"He had his arm around my _shoulders_ and it's something he's done since we were kids." Ann interrupted.

Sarah waved a hand in dismissal. "But we're not kids anymore."

"And I'm pretty sure that Hank has noticed." She said as she tried to change the subject. "He seems to have stayed pretty close to you today."

And to Ann's surprise Sarah's face flushed. "He asked me out for coffee tomorrow."

"When did he do that?"

"After he and Danny met us downstairs at their dorm, he just asked." She explained and her face flushed even more.

"Sarah, do you like him?" Ann smiled at her.

"What a question to ask, I hardly know him."

"But I've known Danny most of my life and you all but asked _me_ that same question." She countered.

"I did not, I said that I hadn't thought of you two as an item. As for Hank, I like what I know of him so far and he doesn't look too bad in a uniform." Sarah admitted.

"And now he'll be coming out to Wheeler. That should give you more of a chance to get to know him."

"And Danny will be home and maybe it will give you both the chance to get to really know each other, too." She replied.

"There's a small matter of his girlfriend. Remember her?" Ann frowned.

"Girlfriend my foot. She couldn't even find the time to come out here and see him graduate. If she really cared about him, she would have been here."

"You really don't like her, do you?"

"The longer they're together the more I hate it. He deserves better than an AWOL girlfriend and he deserves a lot better than her."

Ann heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up to see Hank. "What is it about you girls that every time I see you, you're talking?"

Sarah looked up. "How much did you hear?"

He shook his head. "No more than what Dan and I have already talked about. In the meantime, he and your parents are wondering where you are, so let's get upstairs so we can show you our room before we go to dinner."

"We're not really going to eat in the Academy dining room, are we?" Ann asked.

"Sure we are. The cooks have pulled out all the stops for the graduates and their families. Don't look like that Ann." He said in response to her dubious look. "The food here has been surprisingly good for the last four years."

"Well I guess if you survived on it, it can't be all that bad." Ann sighed.

"There's only one way to find out." He grinned before he took each girl by an elbow. "But only after you've seen our room."

And he escorted them upstairs.


	7. Wheeler Gets New Pilots

Danny was back in Hawaii for good. At least that was how he tried to look at it.

He knew the probability that he would spend his entire Air Force career at Wheeler was small, but he'd been away from his family for the last four years and it felt so good to be back. He wasn't sure if it was just dumb luck or if Academy roommates were posted together, but when he returned to Hawaii Hank came with him as one of the new pilots assigned to Wheeler Air Force Base.

And it wasn't something that was lost on his sister either.

Sarah appointed herself Hank's tour guide to help him learn his way around when he would find himself off base. It didn't take him long to realize that his sister had started to fall for his roommate and his protective instincts kicked in. He trusted Hank without question, but Sarah was his only sister and he would do everything in his power to protect her. Even from someone he trusted without question.

But what exactly was he protecting her from; an empty, long distance relationship that wasn't going anywhere? Hank wasn't Caroline and Danny knew that. He already expressed an interest in Sarah when Danny's family came out for his graduation and he also knew that when Hank took Sarah for coffee, they talked the entire time they were together.

Danny would never admit that he was jealous of his sister's relationship with his Academy roommate. Because as much as he wished for what she seemed to have with Hank, he knew that as long as he and Caroline were together it wouldn't happen. And there was the rub.

He put off any decision about her because he needed to get through the Academy. But, if he'd let her go when he left Hawaii four years earlier he wouldn't have to be thinking about it now.

He received a telegram from her a week after he returned. Her parents had been after her to come home for a visit and she thought that since he was home she could take care of two visits. She wouldn't be back for long though. Major Harris was only able to persuade her to come home for a four-day weekend and not a minute longer. It was typical Caroline to put herself before her parents.

He never understood the relationship between Caroline and the Harris's. She never talked about them much during senior year at Pearl High and in her infrequent letters to him in the subsequent four years, she never really mentioned them. On the few occasions that Caroline brought him home Mrs. Harris always seemed to be glad to see him and welcomed him. Major Harris was a little stiff at first, but when he would talk to Danny about the Academy he loosened up and would encourage him to pursue his goal. He often thought that military life didn't suit everybody and Caroline seemed to resent it. And if that were true, why did she pick him to go after?

Those were questions that he didn't have answers for and maybe it was time for him to ask her. In her telegram, Caroline informed him that she would arrive on Friday and she expected him to be at the airport to pick her up. What in the hell _was_ he, a taxi service?

"You've had somethin' on your mind for awhile son; do you want to let me in on it?" He looked up from where he sat on the back porch sofa and his father stood at the screen door. Danny knew without question what his father meant and he sighed.

"It's something I should have taken care of before I left for the Academy and didn't."

Major McCawley nodded before he stepped out on the porch and sat down next to Danny. "Ever since you were a small boy, this was always where you came when you had some thinkin' to do. And by that look on your face, I'm guessin' that this situation you should have taken care of is Caroline Harris."

He nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"So if this is somethin' you know you need to do and it's the _right_ thing to do, why are you tyin' yourself up in knots? She'll be here this next weekend and you can sit down with her and talk things through. Just like you should have done before you left here." His father told him without mincing words.

"It's been a long time Dad." He reasoned.

"That's true. And most of that time has been spent in two different time zones. You told me about a girl that you met while you were in Colorado and it sounded as though it could have _been_ somethin'."

He shook his head. "She wasn't the right girl."

Major McCawley frowned in confusion. "Come again?"

"If I'd felt anything real for Evelyn and thought that she _might_ be the right girl, I wouldn't have hesitated called things off with Caroline so I could pursue her."

His frown deepened. "So are you tellin' me that Caroline ain't nothin' more than a placeholder?"

"Come again?" Danny echoed his father.

"You know damn well what I mean Danny. You ain't bothered to let her go because you don't have any other prospects?"

His father's words stung. "I had four years of school to get through." Danny answered as though that was all that needed to be said.

"And that don't have anythin' to do with the price of tea in China. You used your relationship with Caroline to avoid gettin' involved with another girl. She ain't ever made you happy and I don't know how happy you've ever tried to make her."

He sighed. "I stopped trying Dad because nothing I did seemed to make her happy. She resented the hell out of having to come here with her parents and never let me forget it."

"Then why didn't you break things off before you left for the Academy? It was the sensible thing to do and you have always been a sensible boy."

"I honestly don't know Dad. I was so busy with school that sometimes I forgot that I _had_ a girlfriend. And it didn't help that I hardly ever heard from her." Danny tried to explain.

"Did you write to her?"

"Yes Sir I did. The first year I was at the Academy I wrote to her every couple of weeks and told her what was happening and always asked how things were going with her in New York. When she would write back she never asked how I was or how school was going and the letters were full of places that she went and the crowd she ran around with."

"Son, your a man now and I can't tell you what to do anymore. So man to man my advice is to put an end to this and look for a girl that can make you happy. You're through with school and have become a pilot just like you always wanted. It seems to me that you need to find a girl who won't mind bein' married to the military because any girl that marries you _will_ be. Just ask your mama." He added with a grin.

"You don't have anyone in mind, would you?" Danny grinned back.

"No I don't, but you're a young man and you have your whole life ahead of you. Once you settle things with the Harris girl take your time and look for the right girl. Who knows, she might be right under your nose and you just don't realize it yet."

"Dad, are you trying to tell me something?"

Major McCawley looked surprised. "I ain't tryin' to tell you anythin' son. But I found your mama when I wasn't even _lookin' _for a girl. If you're lucky, it can happen that way for you too." And he put a hand on Danny's shoulder before he stood up. "Your sister seems to be goin' for that roommate of yours. Do I have anythin' to worry about?"

He shook his head. "Hank's a good guy and he seems to be going for Sarah too."

"You think there might be somethin' to this?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know. We have separate quarters now so I don't hear things the way I did when we were rooming together."

Major McCawley nodded. "Well, you know him better than your mama and I do so we're goin' to rely on your judgment here."

"Yes, Sir." And as his father headed to the screen door, Danny stopped him. "Do you really think there's a girl out there for me?"

"There's someone for everyone Danny. And now that your full concentration ain't on gettin' into and through the Academy you might finally see her." He answered before he opened the screen door and walked into the house.

Things needed to change and Danny's father reinforced that. He was right when he told Danny that he needed to find a girl that wouldn't mind being married to the military, but where was she?


	8. The Lovely And Gracious Caroline

Danny had given a lot of thought to what his father said and knew he was right. It wasn't fair that he keep Caroline in a relationship that neither of them was happy in.

Now that he was able to look back, he could see that he really should have broken up with her before he left for the Academy and let her have her life in New York. It was where she belonged, not on an air base in Hawaii.

She picked a bad time to come back though because Annie's birthday was that weekend and he knew her family planned a picnic at the beach near their house. It seemed as though both of their families would find any excuse to go to the beach because they still spent their Sunday afternoons there with a picnic lunch his mama and Annie's would put together.

Their fathers taught them all to swim in the Pacific and when they were old enough _he_ tried to teach Sarah how to surf. She didn't take to it and he didn't have the time to practice the way he wanted and gave it up before he started senior year at Pearl High. It never occurred to him to take Caroline out after they began to see each other because he knew she wouldn't enjoy it.

What would Mama say? They were like oil and water because no matter how much someone tried to get the two to mix, they always separated.

He drove his old Chevy to the airport to pick her up as she'd told him to do and knew she wouldn't appreciate being greeted with such a relic. But it was all he had and it was his. He made sure to get there in plenty of time to meet her flight because he knew how much she hated to be kept waiting. And if he made her wait even two minutes, she wouldn't let him forget it for the few days she would be in Hawaii.

He decided only that morning not to wear his uniform to meet Caroline's plane because for the first time he admitted to himself that she just wasn't worth it and he wore civvies.

He parked his car and walked toward the departure gate. As he approached saw her plane touch down and it took a few minutes before it approached the gate and rolled to a stop. The engines idled for a few minutes longer before they slowly began to shut down. He watched as the baggage handler snaked his cart across the tarmac to the idle plane and as the luggage was off loaded, a long set of stairs was rolled out. As soon as they were locked in place, the door was opened and passengers began to deplane.

He should have figured that she'd be one of the last of the passengers off because she always liked to make an entrance no matter where she was. She stood at the top of the stairs and waited for a moment before Danny saw her reach for the handrail and descend.

She seemed so out of place as she walked toward him because she wore a suit. The skirt and jacket she had on was opposite to what most girls wore in Hawaii, who tended toward casual attire. But he knew she didn't care.

She also wore a frown and that too was out of place. She handed him her travel bag and without a word headed inside the airport to collect her suitcase. He held back a sigh and followed her. She was in fine form and he knew it would be useless to talk until she was damn good and ready.

It wasn't until she handed him her suitcase and walked out of the airport and toward his car that she spoke. "I hate this place."

"Then why in the hell are you here?" He frowned at her. Mama would have been horrified to hear him use such language with a woman but Caroline was more of a pill than usual and Danny didn't have the patience to deal with it.

"My parents didn't give me much of a choice." She said as they stopped next to his car and she sighed. "You didn't really drive this, did you?"

"It's all I've got Caroline, so it's this or you take a cab."

"You'd think that because you're a pilot now you'd have something more appropriate." She commented as Danny stowed her suitcase and travel bag in the trunk and opened the passenger door for her.

"I'm surprised you would remember that considering that you couldn't find the time to come to Colorado to see me graduate." He shot back.

"I already explained that I couldn't get away." And she sat down in time for him to close the door. He walked around to the driver's side and got in. He turned the key and the engine came to life.

"It was so important that you couldn't come back to see me get the wings I spent four years busting my tail for and earning my commission." His frown deepened as he put his foot on the gas pedal and drove out of the parking lot.

The ride back to Wheeler was quiet and he looked for an opportunity to talk to her but it didn't present itself. When Danny finally arrived at the air base, he stopped at the gate and presented his identification to the MP before he was waved through.

He drove toward base housing and found her parents residence. He stopped his car in front of the house and no sooner did he shut the engine down that Caroline got out of the car and walked toward the front door. As he got her suitcases from the trunk he saw the door open and her parents were there to greet her. She walked into the house without a word and her mother looked hurt.

Major Harris met him and took her bags out of his hands with a sigh. "Thank you for picking her up son. She doesn't care for it when her mother or I do."

"It's good to see you again Danny, or should I say Lieutenant?" Mrs. Harris smiled at him. "Roger and I were so pleased to hear that you graduated from the Academy."

"Thank you Ma'am." He smiled back.

"You could have knocked me over with a feather when your father told me that you'd been posted here." Major Harris commented with a smile of his own. "What were the odds?"

Danny grinned. "Impossible to one, Sir."

He turned serious. "Caroline wasn't too happy when you picked her up, I gather."

"It was a long flight and she's probably tired." Danny tried to be charitable.

"You're too kind about it Danny." Mrs. Harris sighed. "Caroline was very upset when her father was transferred here. She was hoping he was going to be transferred to Mitchell so she could have been closer to New York."

__

That explained her taking off for New York as quickly as she did. "Did she graduate from NYU? She never told me."

Major and Mrs. Harris looked at each other for a moment before he spoke. "Caroline left school after her freshman year Danny. She was more interested in her social life than getting a degree, so she got a job at one of the big department stores and moved into a flat with some of the girls she works with."

__

She hadn't told him that.

"I gather you didn't know." Mrs. Harris asked him.

Danny shook his head. "No Ma'am, she never told me."

"Her life is there now and her mother and I realize that. But if we didn't insist she come home once in awhile, we'd never see her." Major Harris added.

"She's never invited you back?"

Mrs. Harris shook her head and looked as though she wanted to cry. "Caroline is our only child and her father and I indulged her more than we should have. It's made her headstrong and stubborn."

"Em, we spoiled her and there's no need to gloss over the details." He looked at Danny. "The one thing we couldn't give her was a transfer to Mitchell and she's never forgiven me."

__

That explained a lot. "But you didn't have any control over that Sir."

"_You_ understand that but there was nothing I could say to get _her_ to understand."

Danny nodded. "Please tell her that if she can't reach me at my quarters this weekend, I'll probably be at my folks."

"We'll tell her son, thank you." Major Harris put his hand out and Danny took it and shook.

"It was nice to see you again." He told them.

"It was wonderful to see you again too Danny. Please give our best to your parents." Mrs. Harris smiled at him before she turned and walked into the house.

Major Harris put Caroline's suitcase and travel bag inside the front door before he closed it. "I'll walk you to your car."

They walked side by side and Danny wondered what it was the Major wanted to say.

"You've been really good to my girl and her mother and I appreciate it, even if she doesn't." He began. "But I've seen the way she treats you and it's not right."

"Sir?"

"Danny, she doesn't belong here any more than I would have belonged at Mitchell. She wasn't happy here, but Mrs. Harris and I _have_ been. We're hoping that this will be my final post and once I retire we plan on staying here."

"I gather that she wasn't too happy about that."

"That's something that we'll deal with." He said. "What I'm trying to say son is that I think it would be best for you if you call things off with Caroline. Her mother and I have spoken quite often about this and we both agree that you should find someone who would be more suited to military life. It's been my observation that she hasn't made you very happy and we would like it very much if you could find someone who would."

__

He was being given permission to break up with her. "I've tried to make her happy and never understood why I couldn't."

"The plain fact is, she doesn't want to have anything to do with the military and if you were to think about marriage, she would expect you to leave the Air Force."

Danny nodded. "I always had that feeling even though she knew from the start what my plans were."

"I know. But you and she aren't children anymore and you just achieved something you've wanted since you were a boy. And I would be sorely disappointed, as I know your parents would be if you gave it up."

"Yes, Sir."

Major Harris put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll let you get home now. And please think about what I said."

"I will." He answered as the Major walked back to the house and Danny watched as he opened the front door and stepped into the house before he closed it behind him.

He stood next to his car for a moment and his respect for the Major grew. He didn't need to say the things he did but Danny knew that it was out of respect for his daughter's suitor that he was so frank.

He glanced at the closed door again before he got in his car. He sat in the quiet before he started the engine, put the car in gear and headed back to his quarters.


	9. The Three Musketeers

Whether he realized it or not Hank Metcalf had become a part of the McCawley family, Sarah made sure of that.

He also became something of an older brother to Ann.

As he got to know her his first summer in Hawaii, he would often give her his opinion on things and wouldn't hesitate to dispense advice when he felt the need. She wasn't too sure how she felt about that because it now meant that not only would Danny put in his two cents, but now Hank did as well.

But he also spoke to Ann as a young woman and not a kid as Danny still did and she appreciated it.

He was concerned about Danny though, and didn't hesitate to voice it as he, Sarah and Ann walked down to the beach with her family and Sarah's. The trio hung back as the McCawley's and the Walker's strolled ahead of them and talked about the new pilots that recently transferred to Wheeler and how many of them had families. Mama and Mrs. McCawley were part of the hospitality committee to welcome the wives and help them settle in while their husbands went through their orientation.

Hank's concern was due to the fact that Caroline arrived from New York the day before and from what Danny told him later that same afternoon, she must've been full of more than her usual charm. But it was none of her business. Besides, Caroline Harris was the last person she wanted to think about because it was her birthday and she was headed to the beach for a picnic. Dad and Major McCawley barbecued chicken the whole morning while Mama and Mrs. McCawley made potato and macaroni salad to take to the beach where they could eat by the water.

He mentioned that Danny promised to take him out and teach him how to surf but as they found a large enough spot for all of them, Danny was no where to be found. Ann figured that the last place Caroline wanted to be was the beach so she didn't expect him to show that afternoon.

Sarah seemed to think the same thing. "If he doesn't show up because of her…" Her voice trailed off.

"Then it's his loss Sarah." Hank answered and put his arm around her waist for a moment, but it was long enough for Ann to see her friend's face flush a deep pink. "Danny knows where we're going to be."

"But he missed four years of birthdays while he was away and he shouldn't miss this one." She frowned.

"What's so important about this one?" He asked.

"It's the first one since he's been home and he shouldn't miss it, especially because of _her_." Sarah told him.

"It's more important that he doesn't miss _yours_ Sarah." Ann said. "You're his sister."

"That's not the point Annie and you know it. Whether it's your birthday or mine, he should be here."

"I'm right here baby sister. I've been walking behind you since Hank mentioned my teaching him how to surf." Danny's voice got her to turn around and Ann saw her face flush a deeper red. His held his surfboard was under his arm and a towel was thrown over his shoulder.

Sarah stopped and the frown was still there. She looked as though she wanted to say something before Hank grabbed her hand. "Come on Sarah. I've smelled that chicken since we left the Walker's and I really want to dig into it." And he pulled her down the beach without another word.

Danny laughed. "He's learning how to keep her in line."

"Hank was telling us that Caroline came in yesterday." Ann said in way of a diversion and didn't much care for Danny's comment.

He sighed and grew serious. "She did and when I asked her to come with me today, she refused."

"But at least you came."

He grinned at her and put his free arm around her shoulders. "I didn't think you'd notice."

She shrugged to try to get him to drop his arm but knew that he wouldn't. He was too cocky for his own good sometimes. "It was important to Sarah that you be here, that's all I meant." And to her utter embarrassment she felt her own face flush.

"And it didn't matter in the least to you if I came." His grin got wider and bumped her against him as they walked. "It's just hard to believe that you're seventeen."

"And it's hard to believe that you've become a cocky pilot, Danny McCawley." She frowned because the nearness of him was doing strange things to her heartbeat

"That's a cocky _Lieutenant_ to you Annie Walker." He seemed to enjoy the fact that he could rattle her. "I didn't work my tail off through four years at the Air Force Academy for nothing you know."

"And I'm sure we'll never hear the end of it, will we?"

He laughed again. "Listen to you. What happened to that shy little girl that I left behind?"

"She's not a little girl anymore in case you hadn't noticed." She said and suddenly tried to remember how to breathe.

"I've noticed." And the look he gave her was serious. "You went and grew up on me."

"I didn't have much say in the matter, it just happened." She felt her face flush again. "And you're not exactly the same boy who went away four years ago."

"I'm not a boy any more." His voice was low.

"I've noticed." She echoed his answer as they approached the large group and she saw him force a smile onto his face.

"Danny, are you teasing Ann again?" Mrs. McCawley asked with a slight frown as she and her mother opened the baskets. "I thought for sure you would have outgrown that by now."

"There are some things you never outgrow Mama." He grinned, but Ann could see that it wasn't sincere.

"Well then it's time that you do son." Major McCawley was stern with him. "You and Annie ain't kids any more and it's time you stop behavin' like it."

"Yes Sir." He answered his father as he took his arm from around Ann's shoulders before he put his surfboard down and looked at Hank. "You might want to save some of that bird for everyone else Henry."

"I'll save enough for Ann. It's her birthday after all Daniel." Hank grinned as Danny approached the open baskets and began to fill his plate.

Ann stood rooted to the spot and felt the absence of his arm around her shoulders, which irritated her no end. He hadn't really changed since they were children, except now it looked as though he was bound to be an insufferably cocky pilot.

"Mama, if it's all right Annie and I are going to take a walk before we eat." Sarah told her mother as she took Ann's arm.

Mrs. McCawley looked up from where she sat next to her husband and smiled. "I'll make sure there's some chicken for you when you get back. Just don't take too long."

"We won't." She answered dutifully as she escorted Ann away from the happy group and walked down toward the water. "So what gives with you and my brother?" Sarah asked her with a smile on her face.

That made Ann frown defensively. "Nothing is going on. Except that your brother seems to have an awfully high opinion of himself."

She laughed. "It's all for show Annie, you know that. The two of you seemed pretty serious when you got to the picnic."

"It wasn't anything important." Was all she would say.

"He's been really unhappy about some things since he came home."

"You mean Caroline Harris."

Sarah nodded and then sighed. "He and Dad had a long talk about her and Dad told him he needed to make a decision about their relationship."

Her comment got Ann to smile. "And how would you know all this?"

"Hank told me." She admitted with a flush. "He also said that Major Harris all but gave Danny permission to break things off with her."

"You and Hank seemed to have really hit it off." Ann commented. "I've seen him fluster you in a way that no other boy ever has."

"He's not a boy Annie." She said quietly. "And Danny isn't either."

"It's not the same Sarah and you darn well know that."

She smiled. "Whether you want to admit it or not, he's ready to ditch that Times Square trollop and I can't think of a better candidate to replace her than you."

"Times Square trollop?" Ann raised an eyebrow.

"Don't change the subject. My point is this, Danny has finally gotten what he's wanted his whole life and he's a pilot. He doesn't need that concentration he used on getting into the Academy and getting through it anymore which means he has the time to start looking around."

"So why should it be me? He's five years older than me and he should find someone his own age."

Sarah remained serious. ""But he's known you you're whole life and I can't think of a better place to start."

"Don't you think that Danny should have some time on his own before you start matchmaking for him? You just got finished saying that he's spent all these years concentrating on becoming a pilot. Shouldn't he be allowed to have the time to enjoy being a pilot before he starts looking for a girlfriend?"

Sarah didn't seem to know how to respond.

"I know how much you love Danny and how much you dislike Caroline. But it seems to me that it should be up to him when he's ready to pursue a girlfriend, don't you think?"

After a few moments she nodded. "I just want him to be happy."

"The only happiness he might need right now is to be on his own." Ann reasoned with her.

"I don't like that answer, but you have a good point." And she sighed. "I'll leave it alone for now."

Ann shook her head. "That's not good enough Sarah. Leave it alone for good and let Danny make his own decisions. Just give him the chance and he might surprise you."

Sarah sighed again. "I'll leave it alone and I'll let Danny make his own decisions. But if he has a brain in his head, which I know he does he'll give you a second look."

"You promised." Ann frowned. "Now I don't know about you, but I'd like a chance at some of that chicken that Dad barbecued. And if we don't hurry and get back there it's all going to be gone."

"Not a chance." Sarah smiled at her. "Mama said that she'd set some aside."

"For _you_, she didn't say anything about _me_." She smiled back as they walked up the beach toward their families.


	10. Heart To Heart

"You've been awfully quiet for the last couple of days Ann, what's going on?"

Ann looked up from her spot on the front porch swing to see her mother in the doorway. A forgotten book was still open on her lap where she left it when her mind began to wander.

She walked over to her and sat down on the swing. It was then that Ann noticed her mothers short dark hair had begun to show some gray as she tucked a lock of hair behind Ann's ear. "You've got Dad a little worried because you've been keeping to yourself. What is it?"

Ann didn't know where to begin and didn't know if she should say anything.

"Would this have anything to do with the attention that you've been getting from Danny McCawley?" She asked softly.

How did she do that?

"He's teased you ever since you were children and it never seemed to bother you. But it seems to be bothering you now."

"It's not the teasing that bothers me. But the boy who's doing the teasing isn't a boy anymore." Ann admitted with a shrug.

"Honey, he was away for four years and you didn't see much of him. It makes sense that you would notice that he grew up." Her mother told her. "The question is, how _much_ have you noticed?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

Mrs. Walker looked at her and smiled. "I think you do. All you kids grew up as close as brothers and sisters but the fact of the matter is you aren't. If you're seeing Danny differently now, it's perfectly natural because he's grown into a very handsome young man. What you need to ask yourself is this, is it something that you're noticing because he's not the boy who left here four years ago or is because you might have some new feelings that you didn't expect?"

"The only thing I've noticed about Danny McCawley is that he's become a cocky pilot." She sounded defensive and knew it.

"If anyone has a right to be a little cocky, it's Danny. He worked very hard to get into the Academy and he worked even harder to become a pilot once he got there. Give him some time to get used to it and he'll probably be less annoying to you."

"I doubt it." She frowned.

Her mother put an arm around her shoulders. "Don't be like that Ann. He has always been a nice boy and you know that. It's just going to take you some time to get used to him as a nice young man."

"I know."

She smiled again. "It's a beautiful day and I'm surprised that you're sitting on the porch reading instead of being down on the beach. Why don't you get a blanket and take that book down to the water. It's going to be a little while before dinner is ready and you won't have many more days to read before school starts."

"I can hardly believe it; I'll be starting senior year in a few weeks." She smiled.

"Dad and I can't either. It doesn't seem so long ago that we were rushing to the hospital because you were in an awful hurry to be born."

"Is it true I almost came early?" She asked as she closed her book and stood up.

Mrs. Walker shook her head and stood up next to her. "It never got quite that serious, but we did worry for awhile that you might. But then you seemed to decide that you weren't ready to meet us yet and stayed put."

"I'll bet you were relieved I did." Ann smiled as she and her mother walked into the house.

"We certainly were." And she looked at her watch. "I'll be starting dinner in a few minutes and Dad's going to be home in about a half-hour. Dinner should be on the table in an hour, so you need to be home in forty-five minutes, all right?"

"All right, Mama." She answered before she walked to the hall closet and found the stack of blankets that her mother set aside for the beach. Ann pulled one out and headed to the front door. "I'm going now." She called to her mother before she walked outside and picked her book up from the porch swing and walked toward the beach.

As she found a spot near the water, she wondered as her mother did why she decided to sit on the swing to read. It didn't really matter though because Danny McCawley continued to creep into her thoughts and she couldn't seem to stop them. She unfolded the blanket and shook it out before she laid it on the warm sand and sat down. She opened her book from where she marked it and began to read.

"How is it that you're so easy to find?"

Ann looked up toward the familiar voice and her heart stopped. How was it possible for him to get more handsome every time she saw him? And why did she notice the physical changes that took place while he was away?

She raised a hand to shield her eyes against the afternoon sun and hoped that he didn't see her reaction to him. "You haven't been away _that_ long Danny. You should remember that this is where Sarah and I always come because we get a great view of the ocean."

He smiled and it sent goose pimples down her arms. "With your nose in a book, how would you notice?"

She answered his question with one of her own. "What are you doing around here?"

He sat down next to her without invitation and wrapped his arms around his knees. "Running." He told her. "Running in the sand is great for the calves." And he grinned as he presented a well- muscled calf to her. "What do you think?"

She felt her face warm and frowned. "I think you're a pilot who has an awfully high opinion of himself."

"It comes with the job Annie. Pilots are expected to be a little smug, you should know that." And he put an arm around her shoulders.

She shrugged it off and changed the subject. "So is Caroline still here?"

He grew serious and put his arms back around his knees before he nodded. "She's still here and chomping at the bit to get back to New York."

"Does that bother you?" She asked even though she knew it wasn't any of her business.

He sighed and looked out at the ocean. "I just can't understand why she can't be happy here. I lived in Colorado for four years and I missed this place like crazy. And I missed being able to come down to the beach."

Sarah was wrong; he _did_ love Caroline. Why else would it bother him so much?

"Major Harris thinks it would be best if I called things off with Caroline." He continued. "He says that she would never be happy married to the military, which she _would_ be if we decided to tie the knot."

Ann sat next to him, stunned.

Had they actually talked about marriage? And if Sarah knew had she decided to keep it to herself? It was still none of her business but she decided to ask him anyway. "Have you and Caroline talked about getting married?"

He looked absolutely floored by her question, as though it never occurred to him.

"_Would_ you leave the Air Force?" She asked him.

The shock seemed to pass because he grinned at her. "No and no."

Ann couldn't help but smile back as she shook her head in amusement. "Direct as always."

"You don't exactly beat around the bush either you know. I never gave much thought to my relationship with her because the Academy always took precedence over everything. But even Dad seems to think that it's time to call it a day with her."

"Is that what you want?"

"Annie, I haven't given myself the time to really think about what I want because I'm finally a pilot. A big part of me wants to concentrate on that right now and not have to worry about making a girl happy."

She nodded. "It sounds to me like you've made a decision."

"Does it?" He paused for a moment and sighed again. "I guess I have."

Ann put her hand on his arm and the solid muscle she felt beneath her fingers made them tingle. "Then if that's true, it's only fair that you tell her."

"Sarah doesn't like her." Danny frowned.

"I know, she told me."

He leaned in and said quietly, "What _doesn't_ my baby sister tell you?"

Danny McCawley had never been so close to her and Ann's heartbeat began to quicken. "Now why would I tell you that?"

He too seemed to realize the closeness of his proximity and leaned away before he cleared his throat. "Hank seems to have gotten her attention."

"And she's gotten his too. He seems like a very nice guy."

"I couldn't have asked for anyone better for my sister." Danny smiled at her. "So how about you Annie? Is there someone that's gotten _your_ attention?"

Ann didn't expect the question and felt her face warm. "Having a father who's a pilot tends to put the boys off. Most of them have dads who are part of the air or ground crews. The few who have dads that _are _pilots are already spoken for."

"We're at the top of the food chain, don't you remember? Pilots, then co-pilots, then…" Danny's voice trailed off in laughter and it occurred to Ann that she couldn't remember the last time she'd heard him really laugh.

"Spoken like someone who was at the top of the food chain." She smiled back. "But it's different for the daughters of pilots because we're usually at the _bottom_ of that food chain. None of the boys want to be grilled by a Captain or a Major."

"I was."

"I doubt that. Major Harris is one of the nicest men I've ever met and he doesn't seem the type to grill anyone, especially you." Ann countered.

That seemed to surprise him. "When did _you_ meet him?"

"Just before we went back to Colorado for your graduation there was a dance to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of D-Day and there's talk about having another dance in December. Anyway, he and Mrs. Harris were there and he recognized all of us and asked how you were doing. Mrs. Harris was really sweet too."

Danny nodded. "She's a really nice lady. It's hard to figure why Caroline isn't more like them."

"Being an only child might have something to do with that."

He looked puzzled. "How do you figure that?"

"Think about it Danny, no competition for your parents attention. You and I grew up with brothers and sisters and we had to compete for their attention all the time."

He grinned at her again. "I was too busy to compete for my parents attention. I let Sarah and Joe duke it out."

"You did not." Ann laughed before she looked at her watch and scrambled to her feet. "Oh my gosh! I promised Mama I'd be home ten minutes ago!"

Danny stood up next to her and gently shook the sand out of the blanket before he folded it up. "I'm sorry Annie. I didn't know you had to be home." And he handed her book to her.

She shook her head as she took it from him and began to walk up the beach. "It's not your fault. If you hadn't come along when you did I might have missed dinner all together."

"I'll walk up to the house with you and take the heat if you get in trouble with your mother." He smiled and walked next to her as they made their way back to her house. Neither of them talked as they walked up to the main road, but it was a comfortable silence. Ann couldn't remember when they talked as much as they had that afternoon and began to really see him differently.

Ann's mother waited on the porch as she and Danny turned up the walk toward the front door and stopped near the foot of the stairs. There was a look on her mothers face that Ann had never seen before and wondered if it was because she was upset.

Danny seemed to wonder the same thing and stepped forward. "Please don't be too upset with Ann, Mrs. Walker. She told me that she needed to be home when I stopped to talk to her but I wasn't watching the time."

She seemed to shake herself out of what was bothering her and smiled. But Ann could see that it was a strain. "It's all right Danny, she's not too late. Thank you for walking her home."

"Yes Ma'am." He looked uncertain as he handed the blanket to Ann. "I'm going to run back to my quarters and clean up."

"It was nice to see you Danny." Mrs. Walker raised a hand in farewell as Danny turned around and walked down to the sidewalk. When he got there began a slow jog up the street before he disappeared.

"I'm sorry I'm late Mama."

"It's all right Ann. You don't make a habit of it and Dad's running late tonight. But if you'll set the table for me I'd appreciate it."

Ann stepped up on the porch and put her book and the blanket on the swing before she followed her mother into the house. "Is everything all right? You had a strange look on your face when we walked up."

Her mother shook her head. "It's nothing to concern yourself with honey."

She knew there was more to it but she also knew her mother wouldn't say anymore. So she carried the silverware her mother handed her out to the dining room and began to set the table.


	11. Time's Up

Caroline planned to leave for New York in a couple of days and Danny was ready to say goodbye to her for good. Her own father encouraged that very thing because the Major could see as well as anyone that Danny and his daughter were not suited for each other.

The truth of the matter was he didn't want a girlfriend at the moment because he wanted to concentrate on being a pilot and nothing else. He enjoyed the fact that he was home and got to see his parents, his brother and his sister on a regular basis again. He'd never really adjusted to the cold winters in Colorado and the novelty of snow wore pretty thin the winter of his freshman year.

It was because of that he couldn't seem to get enough of the sunshine and since his return was at the beach or his parent's house whenever he was off duty. Of _course_ there was sun at the Academy, but it wasn't the same kind of warmth that he spent his childhood in.

He didn't think much about how things would be different and was surprised to see Ann, Shelby and Tom when they came back to Colorado for his graduation. It startled him to see how much they had grown up. The Walkers were always scarce when he came home for his Christmas breaks because they always went to Ohio to spend the two weeks with Mrs. Walker's parents. And during his first three summers when he would come home for a few weeks, Major Walker's kids were in Tennessee visiting _his_ grandparents and Ohio visiting _theirs_.

They didn't go back to Tennessee that summer because the McCawley's came out for his graduation and the O'Connell's took their first trip to Europe. Annie told him once that her grandfather wanted to take her grandmother on a grand tour of Europe for their honeymoon, but they didn't have any money. So they scrimped and saved over the years and when they finally had enough they decided that it was time to go. Danny couldn't help but think that Caroline would never have the patience or the discipline to do it.

__

Caroline.

After he said goodbye to Ann and her mother, Danny jogged back to his quarters and showered. His favorite clothes to wear off duty were his dungarees, loafers and the Hawaiian shirt his sister sent to him while he was at the Academy. He always wore it unbuttoned over a tee shirt and it was as close as he could get to casual before his mother would protest at his attire. He knew he could get away with it, though because his own father had dressed similarly when he wasn't much older then Danny was. He knew about that because of a picture that Mama clipped out of the newspaper a few days after Pearl Harbor was bombed.

The particular picture he always remembered was taken in what he could only surmise was an examination room. Dad and Major Walker went to the hospital that morning to volunteer their help. Mama took them immediately to give blood and a Navy photographer was there and took a picture of the event. To most it wouldn't have seemed too important because it was a fellow being attended to by a nurse but Danny always remembered their faces as they looked at each other. To him he saw love, fear and uncertainty because they'd been pulled into a war they had not asked for.

He wanted that, what his parents had.

He wanted a girl that would love him, worry about him and while she didn't need to take care of him, make a home with him. He didn't know that Caroline was capable of doing it or that she particularly wanted to. And it was because of that that he knew she wasn't the right girl for him.

He also suspected that she felt the same way about him and finally had to admit to himself that most of his charm was the uniform he wore. Whether it was ROTC in high school or the Academy in Colorado Caroline never liked to seen with him unless he was wearing one. It was something that he was aware of when he went to pick her up at the airport a few days earlier and she was more out of sorts than usual. He knew she would be upset that he came to get her in his civvies, but he didn't care.

It was the first time he ever felt that strongly.

Mama told him to always be considerate of a girl's feelings but it became more difficult over the years because she was rarely, if ever considerate of his. Even Evelyn was more considerate of his feelings, but he already knew that she didn't want to be a military wife any more than Caroline did. But girls like his sister and Ann probably would.

__

Ann.

He didn't know why exactly he teased her so much since he came back from the Academy. Maybe it was the fact that she never reacted to it when she was a kid and for some reason she was now. It was very possible that because they hadn't seen each other much over the last four years they just weren't used to how the other changed.

Ann was a picture of her father and was tall like him too. He knew that Mrs. Walker worried when she was little that she would have to wear glasses but it didn't happen and he remembered his parents comments on how relieved her mother was.

The look on her face earlier in the afternoon however left him puzzled. He couldn't tell what got her out of sorts because he knew Mrs. Walker well enough to know that Ann being a little late wouldn't have upset her. It seemed to be that it was the two of them together and he didn't understand it because he'd always looked out for all the kids as they grew up. He did what his parents would expect him to do and walked her home from the beach.

She sure was pretty though and he didn't know when he began to notice that. Sarah hadn't told him if there was anyone around the base that had his eye on Ann or if she was interested in anyone in particular. Of course it wasn't any of his business.

And why in the hell was she on his mind anyway, she was only seventeen. He still had Caroline to deal with and it was time to finish it. He walked over to the telephone, picked up the receiver and dialed the Harris's house. He shifted from foot to foot as he waited for someone to pick up the other end of the line. It was Caroline.

He let her know who it was and he heard her sigh. "I was in the middle of packing."

He frowned at that piece of news. "Packing? You weren't supposed to be leaving until the day after tomorrow."

"I changed my mind. I've been away from New York for far too long and it's time that I get back."

It was his turn to sigh. "Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"I wouldn't think it would matter to you."

__

It was now or never.

"I know that the beach isn't your favorite place, but would you indulge me and meet me down by my parent's house? We really need to talk."

She seemed to sense what it was that he wanted to talk to her about. "Must it be the beach?"

"Yes, it must. It's always been a favorite spot of mine and it's where I want to be."

Caroline was quiet for a moment and he heard her sigh again. "Well I suppose I could. I'm leaving awfully early in the morning so we might as well."

"So you _were_ going to leave and not let me know." He began to steam.

"My father was going to call you and let you know my plans changed. Daniel, I need to hang up now."

"Meet me down by my parent's house in ten minutes and we'll walk down to the beach."

"Very well, ten minutes." And the line went dead.

He put the receiver down and after he picked up his car keys from the side table by the front door he left his quarters to have it out with her.

It didn't take him long to get there and Danny should have known that she would be late. Caroline Harris ran on her own schedule and everyone else be damned, even him.

When she finally showed up she refused to go for a walk on the beach. "I've got an early flight tomorrow Daniel. What is _so_ important that I had to meet you _here_?" The contempt in her voice and folded arms across her chest irritated him but he wouldn't be deterred from what he had to do.

"You've never been happy here." He started.

"I'm happier _not_ to be here, that's for certain." She frowned. "So what is it you're trying to say?"

"I was miserable being away for the last four years and couldn't wait to get back." He answered. "It was just a fluke that I got assigned here."

"I never understood what you find so appealing about this place."

Danny nodded. "I know, but I grew up here. This is home and _that's_ what's so appealing to me. My family is here and now I get to be on the same base as my dad."

"There's so much going on in New York and it's _much_ more exciting." She countered.

"It all depends on what you consider exciting Caroline. Some of the nicest times I've had have been spent on picnics here with my family or in the air with my dad. It may not be that exciting to you, but it was more than enough for me."

"And that was always the problem."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Nothing I tried to do ever seemed to make you happy. You would never give anything I wanted to do a chance."

"Flying in an old airplane didn't seem like fun to me."

"Which you made abundantly clear when I suggested it. You would have thought I had the audacity to suggest that you move back to Hawaii when I came home." He knew how sarcastic he sounded, but he wanted to get the conversation over with.

"I'd go back to Florida first." She declared.

"No you wouldn't. You hated it in Florida more than you hated it here." He fired back.

"Daniel, did you ask me to come here just so we could argue?"

He took a deep breath and sighed. "No. I asked you to come here because I think it's time that we say goodbye, for good."

He could see from the look on her face that she hadn't expected it. "Are you saying that you want to break up with me?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Caroline, we've spent most of the last four years apart and barely communicated. You never invited me to New York and as often as I invited you to see the Academy, you never came. You didn't even come to my graduation."

"You're throwing that up in my face _again_? I already explained why I couldn't be there."

"Yes you did and that's what finally did it for me. You and I have nothing in common and we've always known that. We've never really gotten along and the idea of spending the rest of my life in a relationship like ours was too much."

"The rest of your life? Oh god, you weren't thinking about marriage were you?" The idea seemed to appall her.

"You find the idea that unappealing?"

"Daniel, you're a _pilot_! Why on earth would I even consider marrying a pilot and end up like my mother!"

"Your mother seems pretty happy."

Her frown deepened. "That's because she's never lived anywhere else _but_ military bases. My grandfather was in the Navy and mother and grandmother trailed after him all around the world. They never had any say about where they wanted to go they just went where the Navy sent them and I hated it when the Air Force did it to me. So why would I have ever considered _marrying_ you and doing it for the rest of my life?"

"Then why didn't you make this clear four years ago? We wouldn't have wasted so much time."

"Having a boyfriend at the Air Force Academy came in very handy. Why would I jeopardize that?" She smiled, but it was more of a Cheshire smile.

__

Why didn't that surprise him?

"Well, I'm not going to be handy for you anymore. I'm through with the Academy and I certainly won't be handy as an Air Force pilot because we're done."

It seemed to sink in and Danny watched as she dropped the smile. "You're serious."

"I'm _very_ serious. It took me a long time to get here and I want to take the time to concentrate on flying."

"You met someone back there didn't you? That's why you want to break up with me." The look on her face told him that she thought she'd caught him at something.

"I don't want to walk around with a knot in my stomach all the time because I haven't heard from you in months and feeling guilty because I don't care. I want to have a girl who cares about me and wants me to be a part of her life. And the truth of the matter is, you're not that girl and I think you've always known it."

"You just said that you want to concentrate on flying."

"I do for now, but it's not all I want. When the time comes that I decide to start looking around, I want a girl who will take me as I am and at least _try_ to understand what it is that I do."

"Daniel, this is 1964. Girls aren't like that anymore."

"I don't believe that."

She shrugged. "Well, believe what you will. As for me, I will release you and you can comb this god-forsaken island for a girl who has no more ambition than to be someone's wife."

"And you can go back to New York."

"Goodbye Daniel." She answered and without another word turned around and walked to her car.

Danny took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh because for the first time since he and Caroline began to see each other during senior year he felt content.

He walked down the beach and headed toward the water. He watched young parents with their small children make sand castles and smiled. It was only a vague memory but Danny remembered being on the very beach where he now walked with his own father when he was small and _they_ built sandcastles. It was something they always did when Dad was home and off rotation because sometimes it was as short as three days, but other times he was home for as many as ten.

It would probably be like that for him once he was factored into the rotation. At the moment, he was only involved in training flights because as their commander told them, he wanted to give the new pilots a chance to get their feet wet before they flew into actual combat.

He sat down near the surf but not so close that he would get wet and watched it come in. The sound of the ocean was something he'd missed when he was stateside and it was nice to be able to sit and listen again.

"Why am I not surprised to see you here?" He looked up toward the familiar voice and he felt his chest tighten at the sight of her.

__

When did she get so pretty?

Ann smiled. "You're going to get wet if you sit here much longer."

"So you thought you'd save me from myself." He smiled back.

She laughed and Danny never realized before how nice it sounded. "You were so deep in thought that by the time you realized how close you were, it might be too late."

He stood up to brush the sand off of his dungarees and if he didn't know better, he could swear that Ann's face flushed. "I was just remembering when I was little and Dad and I would come down here to build sandcastles."

She looked a little puzzled as they began to walk. "And you had to come down to the beach to remember that?"

He couldn't help but smile for a moment and then grew serious. "I came down here to talk to Caroline."

Ann looked around. "Are you waiting for her?"

"No. She's come and gone and will be winging her way back to New York early tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow? I thought she was going to be here for another day." She said.

Danny shook his head. "She changed her mind and decided to go back early. It's just as well though." He thought he sounded too cryptic, so he explained. "The fact of the matter is I broke things off with Caroline."

She looked absolutely stunned. "Sarah's been worried about that for a long time."

"I know."

"Are you okay about this? You don't look very happy." She commented and the concerned look on her face made him smile.

"I'm fine Ann. I've just gotten so used to walking around with a knot in my stomach that it's going to take some time to unknot it."

Ann frowned. "You let her do _that_ to you? You're not as smart as I always gave you credit for."

"I don't think Sarah would disagree with you about that." And he put a casual arm around her shoulders. "So how does it feel to be going into senior year?"

He felt her stiffen a little and realized that she'd started to do that in recent weeks. But he also figured that she wasn't aware of it. "I'm really excited but Dad and Mama are having some trouble adjusting to the idea that I'm almost out of high school."

Danny nodded. "My parents were the same way when I started senior year."

"But they _were_ awfully proud of you when you graduated from the Air Force Academy." She added.

"I never worked so hard in my whole life like I did at the Academy. But having Hank as my roommate made it a lot easier."

"He really does seem to have taken to Sarah. I think he's over at your folks house almost as much as you are." Ann observed.

"I didn't think you would notice something like that." He teased and as he thought she would do, shrugged his arm off of her shoulder. "You're not going to call me a cocky pilot again are you?"

Her face flushed. "And state the obvious? I don't think I need to."

"Fair enough." He grinned. "So what are _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you be home having dinner?"

"Spoken like a bachelor." She seemed to recover her good spirits. "We've _had_ dinner already."

"I sure miss Mama's cooking. But between Hank and me, we manage not to starve."

Ann smiled. "If you drop a hint to Sarah, she'd be happy to cook for _him_."

"Well, if she cooks for him it's only fair that _you_ cook for _me_." He answered.

Her face flushed again. "I can barely boil water. I keep trying to tell Mama that I'm hopeless in the kitchen."

He touched her arm to stop her and she jumped. "Is everything all right Annie, you seem a little jittery."

She smiled at him, but Danny could sense that it took some effort. "Annie? Sarah is usually the only one who calls me that any more."

"I'm sorry, it's an old habit. I try not to call you that anymore because I figured you wouldn't like it."

Ann shrugged. "Dad still calls me Annie too and it doesn't really bother me."

"I'll remember that."

She laughed and Danny liked the sound even more. "I'm sure you will." And she looked at her watch.

"Time to get going?" He asked her.

"Dad wanted me home in an hour and my time is just about up."

He smiled. "You're a good daughter Ann."

"If it were anyone else but you saying that, I'd think I was being made fun of." And she started up the beach.

He didn't know exactly why, but he stood and watched her as she walked away from him. She wasn't wearing anything special, just a pair of slacks and a blouse, but she looked nice. She had curves in places that weren't there when he left for Colorado and that he hadn't noticed after he came home.

Ann seemed to realize that she was being watched because she stopped and turned around. The look on his face must have told her what he was doing and her face slowly turned red. "What are you looking at?"

"You really have grown up." Was all he could think to say before he caught up with her. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

She shook her head. "We caused quite a stir with my mother when you walked me home earlier and I think twice in one day would be too much."

"All right Annie, I'll let you go."

"Are you going to be all right?"

He smiled at her. "The hard part's over. Caroline will be on her way back to New York tomorrow and I won't have to worry about her anymore."

"And hopefully that knot will go away soon."

"I'm counting on it." Danny tried to assure her as he looked at his watch. "Get going will you? I don't want to be responsible for you being late again."

"Sarah's going to be happy to hear that you've made a decision about Caroline." She said as she turned around and headed up the beach.

"I'm sure she will Annie." He said to himself as he watched her walk away.

When _did_ she get so pretty?


	12. Come Fly With Me

It wasn't very often that Ann ventured off the residential area of the base but it's exactly what she did one fall afternoon at Sarah's invitation.

As her friend explained it, Hank wanted Sarah to see what it was he did every day since he talked about it so much and she asked Ann along as a sort of chaperone. She didn't think it was necessary but what Sarah didn't tell her when she accepted was that Danny would be there as well.

__

That piece of information materialized in the form of a young Air Force lieutenant. Sarah had decided to act as matchmaker, of that Ann had no doubt and wondered if Hank was in on the plot. But even if he were, he wouldn't say.

The tour seemed innocent enough at the start. The two pilots took the girls to different areas of the base to show them around and to explain how everything worked to get them and their planes up in the air. And they ended up at the edge of the tarmac to watch a group of pilots take off and land.

Ann was used to the sounds of the jets as they came and went, from a distance. But to hear the power of the engines up close sent a chill up her arms and for the first time got a real idea of how difficult it might be for Danny and Hank to handle the aircraft.

As the last jet took off Danny looked at her. "Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it?"

"It's hard to imagine you flying one of those thing." She was in awe of the effort.

"Now you understand why it is that I run every day." He explained. "It takes more strength than I ever imagined and it's exhausting. Then when you factor in that we're going up at least twice a day now, it wipes me out."

"But if you didn't love to do it so much, you wouldn't be here."

Danny smiled at her and nodded in agreement. "That's a fact. I have to admit though; I really enjoy flying the P-40. It's a lot slower than what we fly now obviously but they've got more character. There's just something about a propeller driven airplane that can't be matched by a jet."

"Didn't you learn how to fly in a P-40?" Ann asked him because she couldn't remember.

He shook his head. "I learned to fly in Gramps old crop duster, but I learned to _love_ flying when Dad took me up in the P-40." He told her. "There are a couple of them around here that are sometimes used for training."

"Are you able to fly it?" She wondered.

"I don't have a whole lot of time to fly for myself these days." Danny answered. "Most of my flight hours belong to the Air Force. But when I get the chance I can take it up for short flights."

It was then that Ann realized that they were alone because Hank and Sarah were nowhere to be found.

"Some chaperone _you_ are." He laughed as he looked around. "You're supposed to be keeping an eye on my sister and you manage to lose her."

She smiled back in return. "I didn't lose her she slipped the leash."

"Do you think we can trust Hank with her?" He asked her with a straight face.

"If I can trust _you_, I think we can trust Hank."

Danny seemed to warm to their humorous discourse. "I was an Eagle Scout Annie you can trust me. Can I trust you?"

"Well, _I _was a Girl Scout. Of course you can." She feigned indignation.

"Just checking." He grinned.

Ann couldn't remember what his sense of humor was like before he left for the Academy, but she liked it now. His deadpan delivery made her wonder if he was always like this and for the life of her couldn't help but wonder what she'd missed.

"Earth to Ann." She heard the amusement in his voice and it brought her back to the tarmac where they stood. "You left me for a minute."

"I'm still here." She assured him.

"You do realize that when your mind starts to wander it means you're getting old."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really? Well just remember that you're five years older than I am so if I'm getting old, it just means that you're getting older."

"Touché." He said and threw her a mock salute.

Ann shook her head and smiled. "Sarcasm doesn't become you Lieutenant."

"You drove me to it." He replied. "And that's the first time I've ever heard you call me by my rank."

"You drove me to it." She repeated and suddenly noticed that Danny was wearing his flight suit. It helped her understand why so many of the girls on base were after him.

He touched her arm and grinned. "I'm losing you again."

"I've never seen you in your flight suit." She admitted to him.

"It's my lifeline when I'm up there." Danny explained with a curious look on his face. "Have you ever been up?"

The question startled her because it came out of nowhere. "Dad took me up once in the P-40 when I was little, but I don't remember much."

He seemed to think for a moment about what he was about to ask her. "Would you be interested in going up with me? It might give you a better idea of what it's like to fly."

Ann had to admit that the idea intrigued her. She'd been around pilots all of her life but never really got to see what they saw from the air. To have the chance to go up with Danny would definitely be an experience.

"Never mind it was a bad idea." He sighed and put his hand up before he gave Ann the opportunity to say anything.

"You haven't given me a chance to answer, so how do you know what I'm going to say?" She frowned and pushed his hand down. "Honestly, sometimes I think you try to read my mind and you usually get it wrong."

He had the grace to look embarrassed. "Guilty."

"If I agreed, how would we do this?" She asked him as she tried to remember what the cockpit was like.

The look on his face told Ann that he hadn't considered how the two of them would fit until then and he cleared his throat. "You'll have to sit on my lap. There isn't enough room for you to sit next to me."

__

Why did he seem so nervous all of the sudden?

"If you're worried that I'll be a back seat pilot then don't. I would never presume to tell you how to fly that old crate." She joked and it seemed to snap him out of his sudden jitters.

"You should know better than anyone Ann that the P-40 isn't an old crate. Or have you forgotten what our dad's did after Pearl Harbor was bombed?" He grinned back at her. "Between the two of them, they shot down _seven_ zeros."

"I've heard the stories too Danny and I apologize for insulting those old crates." She couldn't help it. "And seeing as how my life is literally going to be in your hands, I won't say anything else."

He looked concerned. "If going up with me is something that you'd rather not do I understand. But I'm a good pilot and I would never do anything that would put your safety at risk."

"And if I thought for a moment that I wouldn't be safe with you I would have turned you down without a second thought."

Danny seemed to be reassured as he began to walk toward a far hangar and Ann followed not sure what to expect. She _did_ trust his ability because she knew that he wouldn't have made it through the Academy and become a pilot if he weren't competent. But she hadn't been in the air since she was a child and couldn't remember if she liked it or not.

They approached the hangar and when she and Danny walked inside there were the two P-40's he'd told her about. Ann had seen the pictures of her father and his plane and he always looked so proud to stand next to it. One of the planes sat near the front of the hangar and Ann saw who she could only surmise was a mechanic as he cleaned the windshield. "You still going to take her up Lieutenant? You signed her out for a half-hour and the sun is starting to go down."

"I'm aware of that Sergeant." He replied.

"She's all gassed up and I gave her the once over." He added and then he spotted Ann. "Sir, you know the rules about civilians, they're not supposed to be here unescorted."

"Her father is a pilot on this base." Danny told him as though that was all that needed to be said.

"She's still a civilian Sir, dependent or not." He seemed intent to argue with his superior officer. "And if I let her stay here unescorted I could lose my stripes."

"You won't lose your stripes Sergeant." Danny assured him.

"How do you figure that Sir?" He looked uncertain.

"Because she won't remain here unescorted."

"Sir?" The sergeant looked confused.

"If she's with me she isn't unescorted, is she?" Danny said logically. "And if you leave the hangar now, you can't say that a civilian was here unescorted can you?"

"Lieutenant, if you're up in the air how can you be her escort?"

"I don't think you want me to answer that question do you Sergeant? Because if I answer it, you have to tell the truth if someone asks but if you honestly don't know you can't answer, can you?"

Ann was amazed. She had never seen Danny in his capacity as an officer and she was impressed how he took control of the situation. But she didn't want him to risk the loss his commission over something so unimportant. She also knew however, that anything she said wouldn't help so she remained quiet and let Danny handle the reluctant sergeant.

"Sir, they're going to bust me down to airman if anyone finds out about this." He pleaded.

"No one is going to find out about this because as far as you know, I came in here by myself and took the plane in the air. I'll be back in a half-hour, probably less and if you're working in another hangar you won't see me land, will you?"

The sergeant seemed to realize that his argument was lost. "No Sir."

"You won't get busted because I'm going to file a report to be placed in your permanent record that you went above and beyond the call to get this plane ready so I could take it up. I'll be sure to note as well that with such an old plane you had it running as smoothly as any one our jets."

__

He was good.

"Don't bother Sir; just take care of her. I may have her running like a top but she's still old." He reminded the Lieutenant.

Danny acknowledged his concern. "Don't worry Sergeant. I'll take good care of her."

"See that you do Sir." And with a sigh he walked out of the hangar.

Ann didn't know what to say after such a performance.

"So are you still going to come with me?" He asked as though nothing out of the ordinary just happened.

"I can't believe that you just talked him into walking out of this hangar and leaving you alone with a civilian he thinks is going to be here unescorted." She finally said.

"Rank has its privileges, Annie." He said with a smile. "Besides, he knows that I've never pulled rank on him before. This was the first and only time, I swear."

It suddenly dawned on her that he planned to fly the whole time. The only question was, did he plan on _her_ as a passenger? "Did you plan all of this?"

He seemed genuinely surprised at her question and she realized that his invitation _was_ a spontaneous one. "I told you the truth when I said that I don't have much time to fly for myself. And when Sarah said that Hank was going to take her and you around the base, I thought it would give me time to get a short flight in. I hadn't counted on him asking me to join you."

It was Ann's turn to be confused. "Then why didn't you just say, No Thank You? Sarah would have understood and so would I."

"I don't know."

She decided to take him at his word and didn't press the matter. "All right Lieutenant, we're losing daylight. Let's get this thing in the air."

"Yes Ma'am." He grinned and stepped up on the wing before he held his hand out to her. "We have to get settled before I can start her up."

She hesitated for just a moment before she gave him her hand and he took it in a firm grip. She stepped up on the wing and he pulled her up next to him.

"All aboard." His grin got wider as he climbed down into the cockpit and sat down. "Come on Ann."

She followed his lead and stepped down into the cockpit. "What do you want me to do?"

"Sitting down would be a good place to start." He laughed and she sat down gingerly in his lap. "You're light as a feather."

"No comments on my weight please." She told him as she sat as still as she could. It felt odd to be so close to him and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Danny seemed oblivious to her jumbled thoughts as he started the engine and the propeller came to life. He pushed the throttle forward and guided the plane out of the hangar toward the runway and proceeded to line it up for takeoff. "Watch your head." He cautioned as he reached up and closed the canopy over their heads. He alerted the tower of his intention to take off and was given clearance before he pushed the throttle forward again and as the plane steadily gained speed Ann's heart began to beat harder and wondered if this was such a good idea.

"Are you all right?" Danny asked her over the noise of the single engine. "I can abort the flight if you want me to."

"Don't you dare!" She admonished him. "You said yourself that you don't have much time to fly for yourself anymore and I won't be responsible for you not being able to fly now."

"Thanks." He looked relieved.

"Just keep your eyes on the sky and don't worry about me."

Danny smiled at her for a moment before he looked ahead and before she was able to change her mind the P-40 lifted off the ground and they were airborne. The plane continued to ascend for another minute or two before he eventually leveled it off and they began to cruise. Oahu looked so different from the air and it was hard for Ann to orient herself to where they were because she recognized so little from where she sat. She watched as the sun began to sink down into the Pacific and didn't think she would ever look at a sunset quite the same way again.

"That's not a view you can get from the ground." Danny commented as he echoed her thoughts. "This isn't a view that _I_ usually get to see either because I'm a few thousand feet higher and that's why I have to wear the flight suit."

"How different is it?" She was curious.

He glanced at her for a moment. "Dad explained it once like this; flying a plane like this is like riding a bike while flying a jet is like driving a car."

"Is that how it feels to you?"

He nodded. "And sometimes it's nice to have the chance to ride a bike."

"You work too hard." She commented without a thought as to how it would sound.

Danny glanced at her again. "What I'm doing now is a piece of cake compared to the workload I had at the Academy. Being _here_ all I have to concern myself with is the daily briefings, getting into the air and making sure I know what I'm doing. When I was in Colorado, I not only had to do that but I had a full load of classes everyday too. See?"

"I get your point." She conceded and hoped she didn't sound too much like a mother hen.

"But I appreciate that you worry about me." He grinned at her as he banked the plane.

Ann frowned at him as she looked for a place to put her hand to steady herself. "I don't worry about you. I was just making a comment."

"A comment that is still appreciated." He said with a smile as he leveled out again. "So what do you think Ann?"

"I think I remember now why I didn't go up with Dad again after that first ride."

He looked a little worried. "You're not getting airsick are you?"

"No, nothing like that." She tried to reassure him. "But I kind of like the old terra firma, you know?"

Danny laughed. "Spoken like someone who isn't a pilot."

"Spoken like someone who prefers her two feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much." Ann smiled at him and not for the first time saw the handsome man Danny had become. "But if I chose to fly again, it would be with you."

His eyes were on the horizon, but she saw a flush start to creep up his neck.

"I'm sorry." She was suddenly embarrassed because she thought she embarrassed _him_.

Danny glanced at her again. "Sorry for what, for saying that you would fly with me again? It means a lot to me that you would trust me that much."

"I do trust you Danny." She answered honestly. "I told you earlier that if I didn't I wouldn't have agreed to come up here and I wouldn't have."

"Would you consider coming up again?"

There was a tone in his voice she'd never heard before and wondered if it was her imagination. It wasn't a plea, but it didn't strike her as a casual invitation as this flight was. "I'd consider it." Ann told him and didn't like the fact that she sounded so coy but Danny didn't seem to hear it.

"It's more than Caroline would have done."

"You invited her up?"

"More than once but the idea of flying in one of these old crates" He grinned. "Wasn't something that ever appealed to her."

She couldn't help but think that Caroline didn't know what an opportunity she missed.

"But it seems to me that it's something that might appeal to you." He added.

Ann smiled. "We'll see how I feel once you get this thing back on the ground."

"As you wish." He banked the plane again and headed back to Wheeler.

Neither talked for the rest of the trip but because they talked so much that afternoon it was a comfortable silence. She watched as Danny made his approach and lined the plane up with the long white stripe that ran down the middle of the runway. He began his decent and before she knew it, the P-40 touched down and slowed before it rolled to a stop.

Danny shut down the engine and they sat in the quiet of the cockpit. But almost imperceptibly the silence that was so comfortable started to become strained and Ann wasn't sure why. He pushed back the canopy and she didn't realized how stuffy the cockpit had become from such a short flight until she felt the fresh air on her face. "Are you all right?" She heard the concern in his voice and looked at him.

"I think so."

He smiled. "Good. But I've got a cramp in my leg so you're going to need to get up."

"I don't know if I can Danny." She admitted because her legs suddenly felt like rubber and told him so.

"Rookie." He laughed softly. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. You're going to have to get up for a minute so that I can stand up and get out of this thing. As soon as I get this cramp out of my leg I'll help you out."

Ann got up as he requested and she heard him laugh again just before he stood.

"Nice view Ann."

She looked over her shoulder in time to see that her posterior was in his line of sight and felt her face flush. "Knock it off." She scolded and tried not to laugh as he climbed out onto the wing and hopped to the ground. He hobbled around for a second or two and she figured he'd walked the cramp out his leg when he came back to the plane and climbed back onto the wing.

"Come on Ann, if I don't get you out of this thing we'll both be in a lot of hot water." He smiled and held his hand out to her.

She took his hand and his grip was sure as he helped her out and they stood on the wing. He hopped down again and waited. "The fastest way to get down is jump."

She shook her head. "I don't think I trust my legs."

He approached the wing and reached for her. "Then grab my hands. I won't let you fall, I promise."

Ann took a breath before she took his hands and his strong grip helped her off the wing. The minute her feet touched the ground though her knees buckled and Danny kept his promise because he didn't let her fall. But as a consequence she felt his arm around her as she grabbed his shoulders and he held her against him to steady her. "You weren't exaggerating were you?"

She could see that her proximity to him and the fact that her arms were practically around his neck affected him. She saw a look in his eyes that was unfamiliar and it didn't take her long to realize that he didn't seem to know how to proceed.

She didn't know how to either for that matter because she'd never once considered how it would feel to have his arm around her. And it disconcerted her no end to realize that she felt a thrill to be so close to him. She took another deep breath and let go of his shoulders, reluctantly.

He took his arm from around her waist and held her gently by her upper arms. "You had me worried there for a minute."

"I told you I didn't trust my legs." She tried to joke because he was so serious.

"But you trusted _me_, didn't you?" He didn't take the bait. "That means a lot."

"And we need to get out of here because I won't be responsible for you risking your commission on something you shouldn't have done."

That look in his eyes was still there and Ann couldn't tell what was going through his mind. "Would it shock you if I told you that I thought it was worth it?"

She was determined to keep the situation light because it was headed in a direction she wasn't prepared for. "I'd tell you that I didn't believe you. After everything you've done to get here I seriously doubt you'd risk it."

It was then that Danny seemed to shake off the serious mood that gripped him and the familiar grin was back on his face as he let go of her arms. "You know me better than I gave you credit for."

"Then if I know you so well why are we still standing here?" She smiled back but felt a gentle tension between them. "Let's go find Hank and Sarah and get something to eat, I'm hungry."

"Now you know why they fed us so well at the Academy." He explained as he put his arm around her shoulders as he'd done so many times since he came home. But this time Ann didn't try to shrug him off and she knew he took notice.

"And _you_ know why I want to eat so let's go find them." She insisted as her stomach suddenly growled.

She knew Danny heard it because he laughed out loud. "Let's walk to the commissary, they might be there waiting for us. And if they aren't we'll just have to have lunch without them."

"That's fine with me Lieutenant, let's go." She answered. And as they walked away from the old fighter plane the nervous sergeant returned to give it the once over to make sure that it was all right.


	13. Annie Grows Up

He wasn't a gourmet cook; hell he was barely a _decent_ cook. But Danny needed to talk to his former roommate and he couldn't do it at his mother's dinner table so he invited Hank to his quarters for an early evening meal to talk.

The fact was Ann had been on his mind a lot since she flew with him a few weeks earlier. The images of her that began to cross his mind were anything but platonic and it bothered him to all hell that she was in his thoughts. She had always been like a sister even though he knew that she wasn't but it didn't make him feel any better about it. It didn't seem right that he couldn't get the feel of her out of his mind, tucked in so close to him when they were in the air. He shouldn't have noticed how soft she was when he held her because she hadn't gotten her land legs under her.

The thing of it was and certainly didn't help the situation was that Ann seemed to feel something too and he could tell that it unnerved her, badly. He felt that they crossed a line that afternoon and went from being all but family to two people that, for whatever reason saw each other for the first time as a young man and a young woman. And she _was_ young; he couldn't get around that.

But the knowledge that she was only seventeen didn't curb his thoughts and he didn't know what to do.

"All right Dan, what's on your mind?" Hank asked. "You invite me over for this sorry excuse of a meal and then you clam up on me. What gives?"

"I've got a problem and I don't know what to do about it." He answered simply.

"Well _that's_ obvious, so why don't you just spit it out and I'll see if I can help." Hank told him. "It can't be that bad."

Danny wasn't sure how to put it into words because he knew how protective Hank had become of Ann he and didn't know how his friend would take it. "It's Ann." He finally said.

"What about her?" He looked a little wary.

Danny struggled to explain. "The day that we took the girls around the base and you and Sarah disappeared, I took Ann up with me when I went flying."

Hank seemed relieved and laughed. "Is that what has you tied up in knots, because you took her flying?"

"You didn't let me finish."

"Sorry." He apologized and sat back in his chair.

"It's not the flying that bothers me. She was a real trooper and seemed to enjoy it."

__

Why was it so hard?

"It was after we landed and she had some trouble standing on her own. I put my arm around her to hold her steady and I felt something that I shouldn't have felt."

"Something other than brotherly I take it." He sat forward to rest his forearms on the table.

Danny nodded reluctantly. "I don't know how to explain it. There was this pretty girl in my arms and it wasn't the Ann that I grew up with. It was a girl I didn't really know but one that I thought I would like to know better."

"So what's the problem? Do you think that she might not want to get to know _you_ better?" He asked.

"I think she saw me differently too and it seemed to really spook her." Danny admitted. "She got flustered and tried to pretend that nothing was different but everything _is _different."

"Are you sure about that? Maybe she got flustered because what she sensed from you wasn't what _she_ wanted." Hank suggested. "Maybe all she wants from you is what you already have, namely a good friendship."

"Maybe." He conceded. "But what if she felt was _I_ was feeling?"

Hank sighed and he sat back again. He was too quiet and Danny didn't like it because it usually meant that his friend wanted to say something and didn't know how, just as _he_ couldn't. "I guess my next question would be this. Where do you think these feelings might head? And what if these feelings you have right now fizzle out and you've already let her know that you have feelings for her? Where does that leave her?"

It wasn't something Danny considered. Dad and Mama told him to always treat a woman with respect and he couldn't help but wonder how respectful of Ann it would be if what he felt at the moment didn't last.

"So you think the best thing to do is back off on this." He wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement.

Hank took it as a question. "I think you need to give yourself time to get used to whatever it is that you're feeling and see what happens. Don't treat her any differently than you did up to that point and if what you think is true, give her time to get used to it too and see where it goes. I know I don't need to tell you that she's a really nice girl and I don't want to see her get hurt. So just proceed with caution, okay?"

"Understood."

"Did you ever stop to think how ironic this is?" He commented. "You spent the last five years in a relationship where you were really unhappy and no sooner do you give Caroline her walking papers, you find yourself with feelings for someone that you never expected."

"I didn't want this." Danny frowned and the look his friend gave him thought he meant Ann, so he clarified. "I didn't want to get involved with anyone for a good long while. I wanted to be on my own and do my job and not worry if I was spending enough time with a girl I might be seeing."

"Dan, we usually don't have a say when the right girl comes along. And it seems to me that if you've found that right girl you're going to _want_ to spend all of your time with her." He reasoned.

"She's the only girl I've ever taken up with me and to tell you the truth I can't imagine taking anyone else up after that."

Hank smiled at him. "Did you ask her to go up again?"

The question shouldn't have made him feel so self-conscious but it did. "Do you think I should have?"

His smile turned into a grin. "Of course you should have. You obviously enjoyed having her so close to you and I'd bet that you had a pretty lively conversation while you were up there together."

Danny smiled at the memory of their banter. "She gave as good as she got from me that's for sure."

"And it seems to me that's what you need. Caroline never struck me as the kind of girl who would enjoy a good verbal joust with you."

"You're right about that. All she seemed to want to do was complain that she had to come home," He amended his reference. "Come back to Hawaii and talk about when she could go back to New York."

"And now there's a girl who loves living here as much as you do and that's a pretty nice place to start. And you have the added advantage that you've known each other most of your lives." Hank added.

"Unlike you and my sister." Danny grinned and watched as Hank's ears turned red.

"Never mind about that." He smiled back. "We're not here to talk about your sister or me; we're here to talk about what's happened with you and Ann. And the more that I think about the idea, I like it."

"What if you're right though and she's not interested?" He wondered out loud. "Or that these feelings I've got right now _will_ go away?"

"Dan, I never said that she _wasn't_ interested; I said that she _might_ not be. And as far as what you feel, that's why I think you need to take it slow. Be sure that the feelings that you have for her right now _aren't_ going to go away."

"Be patient and wait." Danny frowned.

Hank laughed at his frustration. "Says the guy who waited most of his life to get into the Air Force Academy. "

"If I'd ever had feelings like this for another girl I'd at least have a frame of reference to work from. But it feels like that training exercise we went through during senior year when we had to fly without instruments. It was scary as hell and so disorienting because I didn't know exactly where I was."

"And the point of that exercise if you'll remember, was to learn to rely on your instincts as well as your instruments because there might come a time when your instincts would be all you had."

His friend was right. Danny was never one to rely on his instincts because if his instructors or his instruments told him something, then that was that. But he felt at that moment very much the way he did the afternoon he had to fly on instinct, scared.

"Just give it some time because something tells me that you won't be disappointed."

It was Danny's turn to laugh. "Are your instincts telling you that?"

He grinned back at him. "You really are a smart-ass."

"Just don't tell my mother."

Hank pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "Well Lieutenant, if we're done with this little powwow of ours, I need to get out of here. I'm going to log in some flight hours and I think you should take a walk down to the beach and get some fresh air. It seems a shame to waste a Hawaiian sunset sitting in your quarters."

"I read you." And he stood up to walk with his friend to the door.

"Just remember to tread carefully Dan. Ann strikes me as the kind of girl who takes these things seriously and I really don't want to give you a black eye because you forgot that." He had a smile on his face but Danny knew that he was serious nonetheless.

"You don't need to remind me of that but I hear you just the same."

"Good." And they walked outside. "I should be back in a couple of hours if you want to grab a beer at the Officers Club."

"Or you can come back here and we can sit out front with a couple from your refrigerator."

He grinned. "We could do that."

"And you can tell me what the hell is going on with you and my sister. It's a fair trade if you ask me. I fed you and told you about Ann so you can give me a beer and tell me about Sarah."

"That's a little different. Sarah's your sister."

Danny laughed. "And you treat Ann like _yours_ so it's still a fair trade."

Hank seemed to realize that he couldn't get out of it and finally nodded. "All right. We'll have a couple of cold ones and I'll fill you in."

"Be careful up there." He cautioned.

"I always am Dan, you know that better than anyone." And he raised a hand in farewell as he headed to his car.

Danny could have walked to the beach but he hadn't had much of an opportunity to drive recently. He usually rode in with Hank to the main part of the base in the mornings because it didn't make sense to drive two cars when they were headed to the same place.

He got into his old car that Caroline hated so much and he smiled. His pride and joy was stored in his parent's garage while he was away and at his father's suggestion was brought out on occasion. He told Danny that it wasn't good for a car to sit idle for long periods of time so he would take it out every once in awhile for short trips. With Danny's okay, his sister and brother learned how to drive in it and he was impressed that they had taken such care with it.

When he arrived at the beach it was nearly deserted. This was his favorite time of the day to be there because he didn't have to negotiate around small children. They would usually be headed toward the surf at a gallop with their panicked parents right behind them to give them a swat on their backsides because they scared the life out of them. Or the tangle of blankets with groups of young girls as they studied or watched the boys that sat together a few feet away. Then there were the occasional tangle of arms and legs of young men and their girls as they necked in plain sight of those parents with their young children. That last thought stopped him in his tracks because he got a sudden picture in his mind of he and Ann in that tangle.

__

Why her and why now?

It was a question he couldn't answer and it frustrated him no end. Ann was still a kid, but she sure as hell didn't look like one and the womanly curves that hadn't been there when he left confirmed that.

He looked out at the horizon and watched as the sun began to set. He saw a handful of surfers still out on the water and realized that he hadn't been out himself in awhile. There didn't seem to be much time any more for recreation even though he and the other pilots were advised to relax when they were off duty. But just as Hank had decided to put in more flight hours that late afternoon Danny knew that most of his fellow pilots did the same, as did he. None of them knew what they would face when they were finally put into the rotation and they wanted to be ready.

He walked down to the water's edge and watched as the surfers rode the waves in and paddled out again to ride the next one.

"This afternoon is too nice for you to be so serious."

The object of his turmoil admonished him gently and he turned around to see Ann.

"You look awfully tense." And a look of concern crossed her face. "Have you heard something?"

He wasn't sure what she meant. "Like what?"

"Like if you've been put in the rotation yet. Have you heard?" She looked at him hesitantly because she seemed to realize that he hadn't taken his eyes off of her. Maybe Hank was right and she might not feel anything more for him than she did for her own brother.

He shook his head. "I haven't heard anything yet."

She touched his arm and Danny felt his body tighten up in places that it never had before and he knew without a doubt that what he felt for Ann wasn't going to go away. "Then why are you so serious?" She persisted.

"Just thinking."

It surprised him when she punched him in the arm she'd just touched. "Don't _do_ that! I asked you a direct question and you could at least do me the courtesy of giving me a direct answer."

He grinned because he couldn't help it and decided to revert to form and tease her. "You're cute when you're irritated."

Ann punched him again. "And you're being a jerk." She frowned before she turned and walked away.

"Ann, wait a minute." He went after her and grabbed her arm, which she didn't seem to appreciate, so he let go. "You asked me a fair question and the truth is I don't know how to answer it."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know if you're going to like the answer." He told her honestly.

That hesitant look was on her face again and she seemed to brace herself. "Just tell me and let _me_ decide."

"Fair enough." Danny agreed. "The truth is I was thinking about _you_."

It couldn't have been what she expected to hear because she asked again. "Why?"

He could have been flip about it but Ann asked him for straight answer and he needed to give her one. "Because something happened the day I took you flying with me that I didn't plan on." He took a deep breath. "I've been teasing you a lot about how much you've changed and that's all it was. But it wasn't until I was holding you because you didn't have your land legs back yet that I _felt_ how much you've changed."

"Oh." Was all she could seem to muster.

"You've been on my mind a lot since then and I don't know what to do about it." He added.

That really seemed to fluster her because her face flushed pink and she started to back up. "Well that makes another flight out of the question. If my being so close to you is that much of a distraction it's not a good idea."

"Shouldn't that be up to me?"

"No it shouldn't! I let you talk me into going up once and look what happened. If I were to go up with you again who knows?" Danny thought she was about to cry and instinctively he reached out for her to comfort her. But she would have none of it and backed up farther.

"You wanted me to be direct with you and I can't be any more direct than that."

"I shouldn't have gone up with you." It came out almost as a whisper and he couldn't tell if she directed the comment to him or herself.

"Maybe, but you did."

"If I'd known this was going to happen I wouldn't have." She sighed.

So there it was. He'd revealed too much to her and without so many words she told him that it didn't affect her in the same way. It was his own fault because his instincts when it came to women were never very good and what he thought he'd sensed from Ann _was_ his imagination.

"I appreciate your honesty anyway. Goodnight Ann." And he trudged up the beach toward his car.

"And that's it?" He heard her call after him.

He stopped and turned around. "You seemed to have made things pretty clear. I don't know what else needs to be said."

She seemed to struggle with what it was she wanted to say and then decided not to say anything.

"Make sure and get home before dark so your folks won't worry." Danny told her as he turned back around and unknowingly left a bewildered Ann behind to watch as he walked away.


	14. Time To Give Thanks

At the invitation of the McCawley's Ann's grandparents were in Hawaii for Thanksgiving and Sarah's grandparents were there as well.

It was a full house that day and she should have been happier but wasn't. The damper was that Danny looked unhappy and Ann knew that she was responsible for it.

It came out of nowhere, his admission that she'd been in his thoughts and at the time she didn't know how to respond. How _could_ she when she _thought_ that what she'd seen the day he took her up in the P-40 was actually true? The look in his eyes _hadn't_ been her imagination or the way his arm was firmer around her waist than it should have been. She thought it was because he promised that he wouldn't let her fall.

He kept his distance but she was nevertheless aware that he watched her throughout the day. It didn't matter if it was when all the men were gathered around the television as they watched the football game or the women in the kitchen as they prepared the meal. Whenever they were within the same proximity of the other there was a sharp tension that was never there before.

He seemed to recover his good spirits however when the extended family finally sat down to dinner and Tom McCawley let his oldest grandson know what he thought of his unattached status. "I'm happy to see that you're flyin' solo again, that's for sure. That Harris girl was no good for you." He answered.

"Thomas!"

"Daddy."

Danny's grandmother and his father admonished him in unison.

"It's all right." Danny put his hand up to calm them and Ann watched him as a flush started up his neck. "Gramps has always been honest with me in how he felt about the situation with her and the truth is I'm happy to be flying solo again too."

"Just don't make it a permanent situation. The right girl is out there for you." Mr. McCawley smiled at him.

The flush moved up toward his ears and it wasn't the first time Ann saw Danny embarrassed. "I'm only twenty-two Gramps; I've got time."

He shook his head. "We're at war, again. There ain't never enough time, especially when you're trainin' to be a combat pilot."

"Yes Sir." Danny answered and grew quiet.

Ann watched as Mr. McCawley glanced at Danny's grandmother and she had a frown on her face. He cleared his throat and he himself suddenly seemed to be embarrassed. "I'm sorry son. Mother is always remindin' me that I'm too direct sometimes and I think this is one of those times. I don't mean to embarrass you with what I say because I am very proud of you and of what you've accomplished. You set a goal for yourself when you were a boy and saw it through. I guess what I'm tryin' to say is that I hope it ain't your only goal."

"Give him time Gramps, he's bound to figure it out." Sarah smiled and Ann had a pretty good idea that her friend's comment was directed at her and her brother and not very subtly at that.

It looked to her as though Danny thought the same thing because he frowned at his sister. "Knock it off Sarah."

"I'm only saying that if you took the time to look right in front of you, you might be surprised." She persisted as her smile turned to a grin. It certainly didn't help matters when Danny glanced across the table at Ann. She felt her cheeks warm and was irritated by it.

"Leave your brother alone Sarah." The sound of Mrs. McCawley 's voice as she admonished her friend brought Ann around and she picked up her fork as calmly as possible and continued to eat, or at least give the appearance of it. "I don't understand you two lately. It's almost as though you're thirteen and twelve again and I was constantly sending you to your rooms because you never knew when to stop."

"If everyone has had enough to eat, why don't you hand me your plates so I can take them into the kitchen." Ann's grandmother stood up and held her hands out for the dirty dishes.

Sarah's grandmother stood up as well. "Let me give you a hand with those Margaret." And they both waited for the dirty plates to be passed down from each side of the table.

When Danny's mother and Ann's tried to help, Mrs. O'Connell motioned for them to sit down. "You two girls worked your fingers to the bone today and it's the least I can do. Jim and I were so appreciative that you asked us to spend Thanksgiving with you and I want to help." And she began to carry the dishes into the kitchen with Mrs. McCawley right behind her.

"You two sure know how to finish a meal." Major McCawley looked at his son and his daughter and sighed.

"Dad!" Danny protested.

He shook his head. "You've done your fair share, son."

Tom McCawley smiled across the table at Ann. "And you've put in your fair share of work today too Annie, so how about taking a walk with your old Gramps?"

Ann looked at her mother and she nodded. "Just be back in time to help Sarah and Shelby serve the pie and coffee." And she checked her watch. "Twenty minutes, all right?"

"I'll have her back in time honey, don't you worry about that." He promised before he stood up. Ann got up and folded her napkin before she put it on the table and when she glanced across the table the look she got from Danny was as serious as she'd ever seen from him.

She joined Mr. McCawley at the front door and after he opened it waited for her to proceed him outside. It was a beautiful evening and the full moon lit the way as the pair strolled down the walk. "Where to Gramps?"

"Let's take a walk down to the beach." He answered as he put an arm around her shoulders. "You know I never used to give much thought about bein' land locked until Rafe ended up here with Evelyn. You've got a mighty fine view from where you are."

She nodded as she put her arm around his waist. "Since we were kids Mama always made sure that we took advantage of where we lived. Major Winkle and his family live further in so they don't get to the beach as much as we do. And Mrs. Dearborn and her family live over at Hickam."

"So what do you think about Danny breakin' things off with the Harris girl?" He asked out of the blue.

She wasn't surprised at the question because she saw him at the table observe her and Danny. "Sarah thinks he took too long, but she's happy he finally did."

"That's ain't what I asked."

"I know and the truth is I hadn't given it much thought. I never saw that much of Caroline when she lived here because she was never at the family gatherings that Danny invited her to. There always seemed to be something else she needed to do." Ann told him. "And why does it matter what _I_ think?"

"Because there is somethin' goin' on with you and that grandson of mine." He stated in a matter of fact way.

She felt her face warm again and hoped the moon wasn't bright enough for him to see. "There isn't anything going on. Danny just hasn't adjusted to being home yet."

"Don't think you can fool me young lady. I've been watchin' the two of you today and it ain't like it used to be." He told her.

"Of course it isn't. Danny was away for four years and we both grew up. And for the first time in his life he isn't thinking about what he has to do to get to the Academy because he's done it."

"That's true. And with that girl out of the picture he sure looks a lot happier." His look was pointed.

Ann nodded. "I saw him the day he broke things off with her and he told me that he'd been walking around with a knot in his stomach the whole time they were together."

"Your daddy tells me that you and Danny have been seein' a lot of each other in the last few months."

She shrugged her shoulders. "We've seen each other at the beach."

Mr. McCawley stopped and from the pale light of the moon she could see that he was dead serious. "You know that ain't what I mean Ann. He seems to think that Danny's seekin' you out to talk to you."

That much Ann knew _wasn't _true. It was just an odd coincidence that they seemed to run into each other so much. Danny's grandmother would call it Providence, but she wasn't about to tell his grandfather that. "I don't think so."

"So you don't see Danny as anythin' more than a big brother, is that it?" His voice was gentle as he asked.

She felt her face flush again and she tried not to sigh. "Why do you make that sound like a bad thing?"

"I didn't say that it was. I guess what I _am_ tryin' to say is that maybe Danny got assigned here for a reason. Maybe it was God's Will that he come back and see someone he didn't see before he left."

"I was only thirteen when he left; of course he didn't see me." She brushed off the comment.

"And now you're seventeen and he's twenty-two. I knew Sarah was the girl for me when _I _was sixteen."

"But that was a different time, people got married a lot earlier than they do now." Ann tried to reason with him but knew he wasn't convinced because he shook his head.

"Love don't look at age honey. It just takes some folks longer to find it, is all. I found it early and _your_ daddy and Danny's daddy found it a little bit later. And if you'd only give it a chance, you might find it too."

The conversation began to take a turn she wasn't prepared for. "Love? Where on earth did _that_ come from?"

"It ain't impossible Annie. When Cupid's arrow finds you it won't matter _who_ it is, even if it's someone you never considered." He smiled at her.

She felt as though she were in over her head because she suddenly felt that her surrogate grandfather was giving his approval for something that might happen between her and his oldest grandson.

"Twice in one day." He said and sighed. "Mother is right, I _am_ too direct."

Ann put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I don't think so Gramps. You just love all of us so much and want us to be happy. Even kids who aren't your real grandkids."

"Who says so?" He laughed and took Ann's arms from around his neck to look at her face. "You and your sister and brother are as much my grandkids as the other three. You may not have McCawley blood, but your daddy has always been a part of our lives and he's blessed us by lettin' us be a part of yours."

"Dad really loves you." She told him and knew it wasn't something that the older man wasn't already aware of.

"I know that because he's never given us any reason to doubt it. He's been a real good daddy to you kids just like Sarah and I knew he would be and we're awfully proud of him."

It was a gentle swipe at the grandfather she never knew, but if anyone had cause to say anything about Cole Walker, it was her Gramps. "Dad doesn't talk about him much."

"That's because there ain't much to say. Cole Walker went to France during the Great War and didn't come home the same. Bein' in that kind of a situation sometimes does strange things to a man and whatever Cole saw changed him."

"But it didn't change _you_, did it." Ann never understood how both men could fight in the same war but come back so differently.

He shook his head. "Cole and I were different kind of men and we had different parts to play in that war. He was in the Infantry and I was one of those new fangled pilots."

The mention of his being a combat pilot got Ann to think about Danny. "When Danny goes into combat, do you think it will change _him_?"

"If you look at the stock he comes from, I think he'll be all right." He told her honestly. "Does it worry you that he's goin' to be rotated in eventually?"

"It wasn't something that I really thought about until now. I just couldn't help but think that Major McCawley was shot down twice in two different wars." She explained to him.

"That's true, but it don't mean that the same thing will happen to Danny." He seemed to try and reassure her.

"But it seems with every new war the planes get faster and more dangerous."

Mr. McCawley nodded before he put an arm back around her shoulders and steered her back toward the house. "That's also true. But you need to remember that Danny's trainin' ain't over just because he's done with the Academy. He's constantly flyin' with his squadron and their instructors are puttin' them through as many combat situations as they can to get those boys as prepared as they can."

"I know that Gramps. I guess I just don't understand _why_ we're in another war."

"Because we're doin' what we've always done honey; helpin' those who can't help themselves. We did it in the Great War, in the Second World War, Korea and now Vietnam. Our families have a proud tradition of servin' our country and it's only with your daddy and Danny's daddy that they decided to make a career of it. And now _Danny's_ goin' to carry on that tradition."

"And now Mrs. McCawley will have her son to worry about as well as her husband." Ann remarked.

"Evelyn's a strong girl Annie. She's a fine military wife and she knows what the score is, _especially_ now that she's got more than Rafe to worry about."

As they reached the house Ann saw Danny on the porch swing.

"Am I late?" Ann asked as they stepped up on the porch. She looked at her watch from the light of the porch lamp and saw that she still had five minutes.

"You're not late." Danny assured her and seemed to feel the need to explain his presence. "Mama sent me out here because she said I was getting in the way." He explained to them and Ann could still feel the tension, but it had gentled.

"Well I'll head inside then, I'm sure Mother has some things for me to do." Mr. McCawley told them before he kissed her cheek and walked to the door. "Don't be too long Annie." He reminded her before he stepped into the house.

It felt awkward being alone with Danny and she wished it didn't. "Why don't you have a seat Ann? You have a few minutes."

"I really should get inside." She told him but couldn't seem to convince her feet to move.

"Sarah shouldn't have said what she did. I hope she didn't embarrass you." Danny got up from the swing and came to stand much closer to her than she thought he should have.

"She's a lot like Gramps; she says what she thinks." Ann shrugged and willed her rapid heartbeat to slow. "_You_ certainly didn't help matters though."

"Maybe." He stepped closer and gently grasped her arms. The look she saw in his eyes the day he took her flying was there and Ann's heartbeat refused to slow. "When did you get so pretty?"

Ann began to panic because she sensed what was about to happen and felt helpless to stop it. "When did you get so cocky? Just because you've earned those pilots wings doesn't mean that every girl you meet is going to swoon at your feet."

She expected to see a grin on his face, but he was serious. "Are _you_ swooning Annie?"

"You seem to forget that I grew up on a military base and it's going to take more than a pair of wings to make _my_ head swim." She answered defensively if only to delay the inevitable.

"Well then maybe _this_ will." He said quietly and before she realized what he was doing, Danny pulled her close to him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, as though to gauge what he was about to do and in the next moment leaned in and kissed her.

To call it a kiss, though wouldn't exactly be accurate. To Ann, he seemed to rest his lips on hers to see how she would react and when she didn't felt his arms slip around her waist and he pulled her even closer. He hold on her was gentle as he began to move his lips on hers and it was then that Ann's knees turned to water. She reached up to grasp his arms to steady herself and without realizing that she was, began to follow his lead and kiss him back.

He didn't seem prepared for her to respond as she did because his lips stilled and he slowly loosened his hold around her waist.

"Why did you do that?" She whispered because his kiss had taken her breath away.

"Because you said that I was cocky and I wanted to see if I could make you swoon." He answered in a whisper of his own. "But the fact is you didn't do such a bad job at it yourself."

She leaned against him for a moment and closed her eyes because she suddenly felt lightheaded.

"Are you all right?" Ann heard the concern in his voice and found the nerve to look into his eyes.

"This is too sudden. We've known each other for most of our lives and never gave each other much more than the time of day. You've only been home since June and you finally came to your senses and broke up with Caroline in August, then without any warning you kiss _me_."

"I've wanted to do that since I took you flying with me." He admitted.

Ann shook her head and countered logically as she let go of his arms and stepped out of his embrace. "You were making a point."

He disagreed. "I would never have kissed you _just_ to make a point. I kissed you because I wanted to know what it would feel like."

"And what _did_ it feel like?"

"It made me feel like I want to kiss you again." He reached for her again and but Ann backed away so that he couldn't get a hold of her.

She felt her heart beat double time and all she wanted was to _let_ him kiss her again. "I think you need to stay out here and let me go inside."

Danny stepped closer to her again and she couldn't move. "I'm not stopping you."

__

He was right.

Her feet felt as though they were rooted to the porch and he put his arms around her waist again and pulled her against him. "Please don't." She pleaded with a whisper.

"Why not?" His low voice was husky as his nose bumped hers when he tried to kiss her again.

"Because you're scaring me." Ann said and then corrected herself. "Because _this_ is scaring me."

Danny seemed to think about it because he stepped back and let her go. "I'm sorry. I would never try and scare you, you know that."

She nodded. "I _do_ know that, but I also know that you've never been as impetuous as this. Ever since I've known you, you've never done anything without thinking it through first."

"I'm not being impetuous; I already told you that I've been thinking about this for awhile." He admitted.

"Why?"

He smiled at her and Ann's heart did a flip. "Because you're pretty and nice and smart as a whip. And because I've really enjoyed the time we've spent together."

She didn't know what to say. "Why _me_?"

"Why _not_ you?"

"You should play the field." She reasoned.

Danny shook his head in disagreement. "I'm not that kind of a guy Ann; you should know that by now."

"As handsome as you are, you could have your pick of any girl on this base." She felt herself begin to tremble.

He smiled again. "You think I'm handsome? No girl has ever told me that."

__

No girl? "Not even your girlfriend?"

"_Ex_-girlfriend." He emphasized. "And no she never did, all she ever saw was my uniform."

Ann didn't understand how that could be possible. "I never saw the uniform; I only ever saw you."

"That's because you knew me before a uniform became a regular part of my wardrobe." Danny reminded her.

"Probably." She said as she moved away from him and looked at her wristwatch again. "I have to go in now."

He sat back down on the swing. "One of these days, you'll have to sit out here with me."

"You should sit out here with a girl your own age." Ann told him.

"Shouldn't _I_ have a say about that?" He looked at her. "I've been back at Wheeler since June and I haven't met a girl yet whose first attraction isn't to my uniform."

"Well, you probably haven't given them a chance." She reasoned.

"Maybe, but why should I when there's already a girl I've discovered that I'd like to give _me_ a chance. How about it Annie?" He asked as he laid an arm across the back of the swing. "I promise that I'll behave myself."

To say that she was dubious didn't begin to describe how she felt. "The same way you behaved yourself after Gramps went into the house?"

He laughed softly and it was the first time she'd heard it all day. Ann loved the sound of it but she wasn't about to tell _him_ that. "All right, you got me there. But I would never cross a line you didn't want me to."

"I don't believe you."

He nodded. "Yes you do. You may not believe it right now, but you've known me for too long to ever doubt it."

"How _can_ I when I've never been in this situation with you before?"

Danny stood up again and closed the distance between them. "Do you think this is easy for me? I've had the hardest time in the last few months not seeing you as a kid and an even harder time admitting how much I like it when you're so close to me. It was always my job to look after all of you because I was the oldest and it was never in the realm of possibility that I would see a girl, who was nothing more than a sister, as a young woman. And whether you like it or not Ann that _is_ how I see you."

She looked into his eyes and let out a sigh. "I don't understand any of this."

"I'm still trying to figure it out myself." He admitted with a sigh of his own. "The truth is, I don't know why it turned out to be you or what it was that got me to see you differently, but I do. All I'm asking is that you don't say no to finding out what this could be. Please."

It was too much for her to take in for one night. She still couldn't comprehend that her imagination hadn't worked overtime and that Danny _did_ see her as more than a kind of sister. "I really need to go inside." She told him and walked to the door.

"Ann."

She opened the screen door and reached for the front doorknob. "You've obviously had some time to think about this and I think it's only fair that I have that same opportunity." She said before she opened the front door and walked inside.


	15. First Comes Love

Danny didn't plan to kiss her that night.

But because he did, Ann seemed to make sure that they were never alone together after that. He didn't see her at the beach in the late afternoons as he'd grown accustomed to, though that could have been because of her school schedule.

He overheard his mother talking to Mrs. Walker that Thanksgiving evening and it sounded as though Ann was taking a full load for the fall semester so she could spend her final spring semester at Pearl High having a little bit of fun.

He was at his parent's house for Sunday breakfast not long before Christmas and ended up on the back porch sofa after the kitchen was cleaned up. As was the case since Thanksgiving, he couldn't help but think about Ann's response to his kiss.

He wasn't nearly as experienced as some of his fellow pilots, but he knew when a girl was a willing participant. Caroline's infrequent kisses always felt to him more an obligation, unless she wanted something and then they could be downright incendiary.

As he thought about Ann, Danny couldn't figure out what affected him more about that simple kiss. The fact that her lips were soft, warm and trembled a little when he rested his on hers or when she responded to his gentle urging and his heart began to trip double time. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to kiss her the way he really wanted to because he knew that she trusted that he wouldn't.

He knew he'd scared her with their sudden intimacy, she didn't hesitate to tell him that. But he also knew that it affected her as much as it did him, maybe more and that was why she was keeping him at arms length.

"You'd think that with the Harris girl out of the picture, you wouldn't be sittin' back here broodin'." He heard his father's voice at the back door and looked up.

"I'm not brooding." He said defensively.

"The hell you ain't. You were just startin' to look a little more relaxed after sendin' that girl packin' and now it looks like you're right back at square one. What's goin' on?" He asked as he sat down next to Danny.

"Nothing is going on Dad."

"Daniel don't forget who you're talkin' to, I know when you've got somethin' on your mind. So come on, give."

He sighed and did something he never did before; he fibbed to his father. "I'm just not used to being at loose ends. The Academy is behind me and as happy as I am to finally be a pilot, it's a little anti-climactic after everything that I went through to make it happen. All of my goals have been reached and I don't know what to do next."

His father didn't look convinced, but didn't pursue the matter. "Well, I'd say your next goal would be to keep trainin' as best you can to be as fine a pilot as you can. That way when you eventually get put into the combat rotation, you'll be as ready as possible."

Combat rotation.

How could he possibly think about trying to convince Ann to give him a chance when there was the very real possibility that he might not come home? But what if he didn't at least _try_ and something happened? What would be the bigger regret?

"The possibility of combat seemed so far away when I was at the Academy. Now it's staring me right in the face and I wonder if I'm ready?" He looked at his father.

The Major put an arm around his shoulders. "Just trust in your trainin' son. I could tell you what the experience was like for me, but it ain't somethin' you can understand until you go through it. What you're experiencin' up there everyday is pretty damn close to the real thing, that's why the instructors are almost always former combat pilots. They can give you the benefit of their own experiences and it really does help."

"Thanks Dad."

"Sure thing." He said as he got up and walked to the door before he stopped and turned around. "There _was_ a reason I came out here Danny. I need to ask you a big favor."

"What is it?"

"I was wonderin' if you were still plannin' on goin' to the swing dance tonight?"

He nodded. "That was the plan, wasn't it? Hank and I tracked down a couple of old Air Corps uniforms and we planned on wearing them."

"Is he takin' your sister?"

"He is."

"Well that's where my favor comes in." He answered. "Annie was plannin' on goin' with a boy from one of her classes, but he called her last night and broke their date. Danny says she ain't too keen on goin' without a date..."

"And he wants to know if I'd escort her." He finished.

"That's it. They're all goin' but Danny says that she's so embarrassed that she don't want to go even though she loves these types of things."

The opportunity to see her was dropped in his lap and Danny knew he'd be a fool if he passed it up. He couldn't help but notice that his heart rate began to quicken, but tried to appear to his father as though it were no big deal. "If it means that much to the Walker's that Ann be there with them, I can take her."

Major McCawley didn't seem to be any the wiser. "Thank you son. I'll go over and tell Danny." He smiled before he walked back into the house.

Danny could imagine that Ann might be upset with him, but he also knew that she wouldn't make a fuss in front of her parents. If it were like the D-Day anniversary dance his parents wrote him about, there would be a lot of music that would give him the opportunity to hold her close. It would also give him the chance to talk to her.

He stood in the living room of his parent's house a few hours later with his father, brother and Hank. Mama was dressed and ready to go, but Sarah needed some last minute help with her hair. She couldn't get it to cooperate in the style she wanted and Mama thought it was going to take two pair of hands to get it to work.

His father still looked sharp in his old uniform and Hank's borrowed uniform fit him as though it were his own. Joe wore the uniform of a Navy ensign and caught a lot of good-natured ribbing from Hank about it.

What was taking her so long?

Danny tried not to look impatient and smiled when Hank broke the quiet. "Smoke 'em if you got 'em fellas. I think it's going to be awhile."

They all laughed and Danny's spirits began to rise. If this dance was anything like the one in June, it sounded as though it was going to be a lot of fun.

"As soon as Sarah finds her handbag, we can be on our way." Mama's voice got them all to look toward the hall and he saw his father's face flush. She was beautiful in the cream colored satin dress she wore and her dark hair was gathered into what she explained earlier was a snood, which matched the dress.

His father was speechless as he walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful honey."

She flushed at his compliment and laid a hand over his left breast pocket. "I've always preferred this uniform. It always reminds me of that young lieutenant I stuck the needle with."

"How's our girl doin'?" He asked her with a smile.

"She's ready to go." Sarah answered as Danny watched her walk into the living room and she looked great. "Mama let me wear her dress from that night you were at the nightclub in New York." She seemed to feel the need to explain to her father. Her hair was also in a snood that matched and Hank looked absolutely stunned.

"You look just as pretty as your mama did that night." Major McCawley smiled at her.

Her face flushed at his sincere compliment. "Thanks Dad."

"If we're all ready to go, let's get a move on." He answered. "Danny, why don't you go over to the Walker's and get Ann and we'll meet you over there."

Sarah raised her eyebrows at him and smiled. "Ann?"

"Sarah Jane, do you have something to say?" His mother asked her with a slight frown.

Her smile grew wider. "You're going to knock her for a loop in that Air Corps uniform."

Hank walked over to her and took her arm. "Allow me to escort you outside Miss McCawley." He said as he walked her to the front door. "We'll wait for you outside." And after he waited for Sarah to proceed him, he followed her out.

"I'll be outside with them." Joe told his family and walked to the door Hank left open and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

"Rafe, I don't know what's gotten into her." His mother said in exasperation.

"And what does Ann have to do with this?" His father looked at him.

"I wish I knew Dad." He said and turned to pick up his cap before his father saw the flush that began to creep up his neck. "I can take Joe in my car if you want." He said as he faced his parents. "I've got plenty of room."

"That's all right son, but thank you for offerin'. We'll see you when you get there."

"Yes Sir." He answered as they walked to the front door and Mama was turning out the lights except for the one in the front window. "You look beautiful tonight Mama."

The compliment seemed to surprise her and she smiled. "Thank you Danny. You're a picture of your father in that uniform."

"Thank you Ma'am." Danny smiled at her as he stepped out on the porch and waited for his parents to follow. He glanced at the driveway and saw Joe standing by the side of their parents car while Hank helped Sarah into the front seat of his. His own car was parked in front of the house and all he needed to do now was go down to the Walker's house and get Ann. "We shouldn't be too far behind you."

"Danny sure appreciates you doin' this for Ann and I do too." Major McCawley smiled at him.

He shook his head. "It's no big deal Dad. We were all going anyway."

"Nevertheless, it is appreciated." His mother answered.

"Yes Ma'am. I'll see you there." And he leaned over and kissed his mother's cheek before he stepped off the porch and headed down the walk. He turned up the sidewalk and the closer he got to their house, he began to worry that Ann really wouldn't be happy with the situation. His stomach began to knot up, but this time for a very different reason. It wasn't because he didn't care, it was because he was beginning to care too much.

He turned into the front walk and headed to the porch. He stepped up to the front door and realized that this was the first time he'd ever knocked on the Walker's front door. As kids, he and his brother and sister were in and out of the house so much that no one ever bothered.

His godfather opened the door, wearing his old Air Corps uniform and smiled at him. "Come on in son. We ain't quite ready to leave yet."

It shouldn't have felt as awkward as it did when he walked into the house, but to be honest, it suddenly felt like a date.

"You look very handsome Danny." Mrs. Walker smiled at him. "I always preferred those uniforms."

He smiled. "Mama just said the same thing."

"What's keepin' those kids of ours?" Major Walker looked at his watch.

"Perhaps it's because your son doesn't want to be seen in clothes from the olden days, as he told me." She explained and then looked at Danny. "I tried to explain to him that children dressed differently in those days then they do now."

"I wish I were old enough to wear a uniform." Tom announced as he walked out to the living room.

"I wish I were old enough to wear a formal." Shelby said as she followed her younger brother. "Mama, bobby socks?"

"I think you look very nice, the both of you. I know it's not something that you would ordinarily wear, but this is what children wore and it's only for one evening. All right?" She humored them.

They both nodded. "At least Annie gets to wear a pretty dress." Shelby added.

"And when you get to be her age, then you can too." His godfather told her. "Come on troops; let's get movin'. That band ain't goin' to wait all night you know." And he began to usher them out of the house. "Tell Annie we went ahead and we'll meet you there." And as soon as his family was out the door, he closed it behind him.

If Danny felt a little awkward when he first walked in he now felt downright uncomfortable because Ann's father left him in the house alone with his daughter. He knew that if it were anyone but he or his brother, the Major wouldn't have done it.

"Why is it so quiet out here?" Danny turned around to see Ann walking into the living room. When she saw him she stopped dead in her tracks and her cheeks turned pink.

He felt a flush creep up his neck again because he'd never seen Ann in a formal before and couldn't remember when she'd ever been prettier. The dress she wore was simple enough. It was a wine colored dress that looked to be velvet and it fit her like a glove. Her dark hair was loose and curled around her shoulders. "You look really nice Ann." He commented after trying to clear his throat.

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "It's Mama's. She wore it the night she met Dad."

"It suits you."

"Thank you. That uniform suits you too." Her words were clipped and Danny understood how uncomfortable she felt.

"Thank _you_." And he cleared his throat again. "Are you ready to go?"

She picked up her handbag from the coffee table and nodded.

"Are you all right with this?" His voice came out almost in a whisper.

"This was Dad's idea because he didn't want me to miss the dance." She told him.

"That's not what I asked."

"I know. He doesn't know that you kissed me either because if he did, he probably wouldn't have asked you to do this."

"Probably. Are you sorry that you kissed me back?"

"Gramps shouldn't have left us alone on your porch together." She sighed.

"Why do you answer my questions with a statement?" He was beginning to understand that Ann Walker could be downright stubborn, but he could be just as persistent. He gently grasped her elbows and could feel her tremble as he pulled her closer and he heard her handbag hit the floor. "And why have you been avoiding me?"

"I told you that I needed time to sort this out and when I asked you not to kiss me again, you went ahead and tried anyway."

She was right.

"Guilty as charged." He admitted with a sigh.

"And then you tried to persuade me to stay out on the porch with you." She added.

"I did."

"What you need to understand is that you have more experience with this sort of thing than I do and I've never had a boy kiss me the way you did."

"I'm not a boy Ann." He said softly as he pulled her into his arms.

"Don't you think I know that?" She whispered back and grabbed his sleeves, trying to push him back. "You told me that you were having a hard time not seeing me as a kid. Well _I'm_ having the hardest time seeing you as the grown man you are because you _aren't_ the seventeen-year-old boy who left here four years ago. You went away for such a long time and when we went to Colorado to see you graduate, this handsome Air Force pilot that I didn't know had replaced the boy I grew up with."

"That's the second time you've called me handsome." He wanted to smile but didn't because she was so serious.

"It's because you _are_ and I feel like it's something I shouldn't notice because we've known each other for such a long time."

"You make it sound almost incestuous."

"That's not what I mean and you know it!" She pulled away from him and walked toward the kitchen before she stopped and turned around. "I don't know why you're suddenly in such a hurry with this. You've only been broken up for a couple of months and instead of taking time to be on your own, you seem to have decided to find someone else."

"I didn't plan to kiss you."

"I know that."

"Ann, I have feelings for you that I didn't think were possible six months ago or even three. And I think that you have feelings for me that you never expected and it's scaring the hell out of you."

"Gramps thinks it was God's Will that the Air Force stationed you here. The way he put it was that maybe you were meant to see someone you hadn't seen before you left." She explained.

He smiled. "I love that old guy."

"I know you do, so do I." She said to him.

"Do you think he's right?" He became serious and moved closer to her as she began to back up. "Do you think that _you_ were the girl that I was supposed to see?"

"He didn't say that and neither am I." She reasoned. "I'm sure there were plenty of girls you knew from Pearl High that might be it."

"I think you already know that's not true." He smiled as he kept moving toward her and the wall suddenly stopped her progress. "You really are pretty in that dress."

"You already said that."

"And I meant it." He took hold of her elbows again and pulled her toward him.

"Danny, if we don't leave now our parents might begin to wonder what's happened to us and they'll come back. Do you really want my father and yours to find us like this?" She asked and the look in her eyes pleaded with him to let her go.

He backed up and reluctantly let her go. "No. If you're ready, my car is down at my parent's house."

She nodded and walked back toward the coffee table to pick up the handbag that she'd dropped on the floor. "I still think you should look for a girl your own age."

"And I already told you that I should have a say in that." He answered as he opened the door and waited for her to walk out ahead of him.

They made it to the hangar in good time and Danny found a place to park. Ann was quiet on the trip over and he couldn't help but worry about what she was thinking. He couldn't ever remember being so insistent with any other girl and for the life of him, couldn't understand why it turned out to be Ann Walker that he was so insistent with.

He walked around to the passenger door, opened it and gave Ann his hand to help her out, which she took. But only for a moment. They walked toward the hangar and the closer they got he could hear "In the Mood" playing. He reached over and grasped her hand again for just a moment. "I'm sorry Ann."

"I know you are." She answered before she pulled her hand out of his.

He took a deep breath and sighed before he walked inside. It was like they stepped back in time and he got a taste of what his parents must have experienced when they were his age. There was a mirrored ball that hung from the rafters and turned in a slow circle. There were two lights trained on the large orb that caused squares of light to reflect all around the hangar. A bandstand was set up at the far end and he could see that the Wheeler Air Force Base Dance Band provided the music.

He looked over to see if Ann was still with him because the farther they walked inside, it became a crush of people and he suddenly felt her hand grip his and she leaned in close.

"Ann are you all right?" Danny looked down at her and he could see that she was losing some of the color in her face.

"I'm fine." She told him but the farther in they went her grip on his hand tightened and he began to worry.

As he looked around for their families, he couldn't help but notice all of the old Air Corps uniforms. Some still fit the officers and some didn't fit as well as they used to, but the pride with which they were worn made him feel like a bit of a fake. The uniform _he _wore was from his father's era and he didn't feel worthy of wearing it. The women, young and not so young were dressed much like his sister and Annie were, though many wore the uniforms of the WAVES and the WACS while some wore nurses uniforms.

"Danny." Her voice sounded panicked and her palm began to feel damp against his.

"Ann, are you going to faint?"

"Yes." Her voice was so faint in the noise of the hangar, he barely heard her.

"Then we need to get you the hell out of here." And he let go of her hand only long enough to get an arm around her back, the other under her knees and he picked her up. He pushed his way through the crowd without apology as Ann's head rested on his shoulder.

"This is so humiliating." He heard and she sounded as though she were going to cry.

"Be quiet until I get you outside." He gently admonished her as he continued to push his way through. When they reached the tarmac, he looked for a place that Ann could sit and get her breath. Several chairs and benches were set up near the hangar and Danny found a bench for them to sit.

"Is she all right Sir?" A young airman approached them as he set her down.

"Could you get her a glass of water or some seltzer if you have it?" Danny asked as he sat down next to her and tried not to panic.

"Yes Sir." And he disappeared inside.

From the light of the hangar Danny could see a film of perspiration on her forehead and she was as white as a sheet. "I'm sorry Danny. I forgot that I get claustrophobic in large crowds." She said and put her head back down on his shoulder.

He took her hands in his and began to rub them. They were colder than they should have been and he worried that she might still faint. "Don't be sorry Ann. If I'd remembered that I wouldn't have walked you into that hangar."

He continued to rub her hands, as much to warm them as to feel their softness between the roughness of his own.

"Ann?" Danny heard the worried voice of Ann's mother call before he saw her rush out of the hangar with Major Walker behind her. "Ann, are you all right?"

"The crowds in the hangar were a little too much for her." Danny explained.

"How are you feelin' baby girl?" Major Walker looked worried and didn't seem to notice that Ann's head was on his shoulder. He took the hands that Danny let go of when he heard Mrs. Walker's voice and took them in his own. "Your hands are warm, that's a good thing."

"You can thank Danny for that Dad." Ann said quietly and Danny thought she sounded tired.

The Major smiled at him. "Thank you son. This ain't happened for such a long time that we figured it wouldn't happen again."

The young airman that Danny sent in after some water returned with a large tumbler and asked. "Is she going to be okay?"

He looked down at the pale face and asked softly. "Are you going to be all right Ann?"

She nodded and sat up as he handed her the glass. She drained it and handed it to the young man. "Thank you." She said and he smiled at her before he walked back into the hangar.

"Well it looks like you're in good hands honey so Mama and I are goin' back inside. Once it clears out a bit in there, come on in. We've got a table big enough for all of us."

"Thanks Dad. We'll be in soon." She assured him.

"Danny, I'll let your folks know you're here and that you'll be joinin' us."

"Thank you Sir. I appreciate that." And he watched them go back inside. "I really like your dad."

"Me too."

He smiled at her. "I really like you too."

Her face flushed and it was then Danny noticed that the color had returned to her face. "I really like you too Danny and it isn't because of your uniform." Her laugh was gentle and he loved the sound of it. "I'm just sorry for being so difficult."

"You haven't been difficult Ann, you were about to faint." He couldn't help but smile but Ann remained serious.

"That's not what I mean. What's happening between us was something I never considered because you're so much older. Then before I knew it you were telling me that you were thinking about me and then you kissed me. I didn't handle it very well and you didn't have a very nice Thanksgiving because of it."

He sighed. "I didn't have a good Thanksgiving because I was feeling sorry for myself and that isn't your fault. The day we talked at the beach I just finished talking to Hank and he pretty much told me to keep my feelings to myself for the time being. I didn't and you weren't ready for it."

"I'm still getting used to it."

"I know you are because I am too." He admitted and felt better than he had since Thanksgiving because they seemed to have cleared the air. The band began to play a romantic tune and Danny took her hand in his and it was warm. "Ann?"

"Yes?"

"It seems a shame to let a nice song like this go to waste. Would you dance out here with me?" He asked.

She smiled. "We've never danced together before."

Danny smiled back at her before he stood up and offered her his hand. "Sure we have. Don't you remember Mrs. Dearborn's wedding?"

Ann laughed as she stood up and took it. "I was four and a half years old, how would I remember _that_?"

He held her hand in a gentle grip as they walked to the edge of the hangar. He put one arm around her waist and took her hand in his. They began to turn slowly to the music as Danny pulled her close to him and she put her head down on his shoulder. "This is better than Mrs. Dearborn's wedding."

She laughed again and looked up at him. "At least I'll remember _this_."

"And this too I hope." He smiled at her before he leaned over and kissed her. Her lips were warm and softer than he remembered from their first kiss and she didn't hesitate this time to answer.

When he finally and reluctantly broke the kiss she was smiling. "You're right."

"About what?" He smiled back at her.

"This is _much_ better than Mrs. Dearborn's wedding." She told him and put her head back on his shoulder as they danced together at the edge of the hangar with the reflections from the mirrored ball sparkling all around them.

"I thought you said you didn't remember Mrs. Dearborn's wedding." He laughed and when she looked up at him with the smile still on her face, he kissed her again.


	16. Courtship

"Ann?"

She heard Danny's soft voice as she rested her head on his shoulder and she smiled. "Mm-hmm?"

"The song is over." And she sensed that he was trying not to laugh.

"I know." She answered and didn't really care because she liked the feel of his arm around her; she felt safe.

"Not a half-hour ago you were concerned that our parents would find us in the situation we were in at your house. Do you want them to find us like this and have to explain?" He asked her sensibly.

"I suppose not." She sighed because she knew he was right and stepped away from him. "How did we get here?"

He grinned at her. "Don't tell me you've got amnesia too. Don't you remember? I walked you in there and…"

"You know that's not what I meant Daniel." And she rolled her eyes at him.

His grin got wider. "I hate to tell you this Ann, but the only one who ever called me Daniel was Caroline."

"Well I certainly don't want to be compared to _her_." She frowned at him. "What I meant was, how did we get from growing up together and not seeing each other as much more than a brother and sister to you kissing me on Thanksgiving?"

"I guess it's because we didn't see each other much over the last four years and didn't have the opportunity to see how much the other changed. If I had stayed here, we might not have noticed and would have gone on the way we always had."

She felt her face warm and was suddenly too shy to look at him. "I'm glad you went away."

"So am I." He answered quietly and surprised her when he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. "I could get used to this."

Ann looked up and he was smiling again as she admitted. "So could I."

"In the meantime, it looks as though the hangar isn't as crowded. Do you think you're ready to give it another try?" Danny asked as he offered her his hand.

"I think so." She answered as she took it and they began to walk toward the hangar when Ann suddenly stopped. "I overheard Dad earlier today and he said that Wheeler is going to send the new squadrons out on some training missions."

The look on his face told her that he was already aware of it and he nodded. "We don't know exactly when, but you know that our instructors have been pushing up our flight hours."

"What exactly does that _mean_?" She asked him and suddenly felt goose pimples rise on her arms.

"It means that we're going to be sent out on a couple of missions soon. We'll be gone for a week for the first one and the second will be for a couple of weeks at most for survival training."

"Survival training?" It wasn't what she expected to hear and began to feel that the whole thing with them might be over before it really got started.

Danny took her gently into his arms. "It's something that we need to do Ann. When a pilot goes into combat, there's no telling what could happen and what this training is supposed to do is give us the tools we need to stay alive. And if we're shot down over enemy territory, to avoid capture."

She closed her eyes and could feel the tears come. "I wish you hadn't told me that." She whispered.

He pulled her against him and held her close. "These are things you need to know if we're going to make a go of this. I don't want to keep things from you because I don't want you to be unprepared if something should happen."

"I was too young to remember Korea and your dad getting shot down. But when we got involved in Vietnam I worried about _Dad_ getting shot down and now I'm going to worry about you."

"Please try not to. I know it's a lot to ask but the Air Force is doing everything it can to get the new pilots ready for what we have to do. You just have to believe that I'm doing everything that _I_ can to be as prepared as possible."

She stepped back as Danny took a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at her damp eyes as he smiled. "Mama always told me to carry a clean handkerchief just in case I ever needed to use it. I guess she was right."

She drew a shaky breath. "You and Hank are in the same squadron; does Sarah know about this?"

"I don't know. He hasn't said anything to me about it and neither has she, so it's anybody's guess." He told her as he pressed his handkerchief into her hand. "Keep this just in case."

It was a gallant gesture and Ann appreciated it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now let's get in there before they start to figure out what's really going on out here."

"All we did was dance together." She smiled as she put his handkerchief in her handbag. "Mostly."

"We did a little more that that Ann." He laughed as he took her elbow. "And I would just as soon our parents not know about that yet."

"Agreed." And they walked back into the hangar. It was still crowded, but she didn't feel the lightheadedness that struck her when they'd come in the first time.

"Are you all right?" He asked and Ann could see the concern on his face.

"I'm fine. It's not nearly as warm in here as it was before and that makes a big difference." She reassured him. "Do you see them yet?"

"I found them." Danny nodded as he answered her and then let go of her elbow.

They approached the table and not only were their families there, but Major Winkle and his were at the table next to them. Seated with the Winkle's were Mrs. Dearborn and _her_ family. "We were beginning to wonder if you would venture in here." Sarah grinned at her. "I wanted to ask you what you thought about the uniform my brother's wearing."

"Knock it off Sarah." Danny frowned at her. "She's been through enough tonight."

Ann felt her face flush and wondered how she was going to get through the evening. "I think he looks very nice." She said as casually as she could. "And I think Hank looks nice too."

"Thanks Ann." He smiled at her. "You look really swell yourself."

"Thank you." She smiled back as she found an empty seat next to her mother and sat down.

"You'd think I didn't teach you any manners Daniel," His mother admonished as he sat down across from Ann. "you should have held Ann's chair for her."

"Yes Ma'am." And she saw him flush before he looked at her. "I'm sorry Ann, I wasn't thinking." He apologized to her.

The band began to play again and Hank stood up. "Ann I haven't had a chance to dance with you yet, how about it?"

__

Did he know?

She smiled and stood up. "I'd like that." And he came around the table to offer his arm.

He didn't say anything as they walked to the floor and when they stopped, put his hand just below her shoulder blades and took her free hand in his. They began to circle and he smiled at her. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes I am thank you. I'm just not used to being in big crowds like this." She admitted.

"I saw you and Danny dancing earlier." He told her without preamble. "And I saw him kiss you."

She must have looked as shocked as she felt.

He squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Don't worry Ann, Sarah didn't see you. I was on the far side of the hangar grabbing a smoke and saw you."

__

What would she learn next? "I didn't know you smoked."

Hank looked a little embarrassed. "I'm what you would call a stressful smoker. _You_ get claustrophobia being in confined places and _I_ have to smoke when I get tense."

"I don't understand."

"This dance was a really big deal for Sarah because I asked her to come with me. This is our first real date you see."

Ann smiled. "I'm surprised that you would be nervous. You and Sarah have been practically inseparable since you were posted here."

"But that was all casual, even the family picnics. Dan was always there so it wasn't like Sarah and I were actually out on a date."

"And you don't want to make a fool of yourself tonight in front of her or her family on your first real date."

He nodded. "That's it. She's really something special."

"She's been a good friend to me since we were kids." Ann told him.

"But I know she's been a pain in the ass about you and Dan." He admitted.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sarah seems to think that we would make a good match."

"I think she's right." He said quietly. "When I saw the two of you out there dancing I could see that you fit. He was holding you in a way that a guy who thinks of a girl as a sister wouldn't do."

She felt her face warm and didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry Ann, I don't mean to embarrass you. I just thought you should have an outside perspective." His voice was still low.

"I didn't see much of him during the last four years and I was surprised at how much he changed."

Hank laughed. "You covered it up really well. All I saw was a guy who was teasing a girl he'd known most of his life and you were taking it as though it didn't bother you."

She joined in his laughter. "At the time it really didn't. It wasn't until after he got home and kept doing it then suddenly I wasn't seeing the boy I knew anymore, but a young man I didn't."

"Have you told him that?"

Ann nodded. "We've done a lot of talking tonight to try and sort out what it is that's happening."

He was quiet again. "If you give it a fair chance, I think you might end up falling in love with each other because Dan is different with you than with any other girl I've seen. He's got girls all over this base after him and he's too polite to them by half, in my opinion because he's always aware that it's his uniform or his flight suit that attracts them."

"He told me that."

Hank grinned at her. "What _hasn't_ he told you?"

"I don't know exactly. We only really started talking after he came home and most of that was about Caroline." She frowned.

He shook his head. "I never met her and Dan didn't have a picture of her on his desk, which I always thought was kind of odd seeing as how she _was_ his girlfriend. But he had a whole bulletin board full of pictures of his family and his friends from here."

"Did you know that he and Sarah had to stay in Tennessee after Major McCawley was transferred back here when he re-enlisted? It was too late to get them into school and they had to stay behind with their grandparents while Joe came out here with them."

"He told me. He also said he remembered how hard it was on his mother to leave them there. Every chance she and the Major got, they made sure that Dan and Sarah got back here to see them."

"I don't remember much about that because I was so young. But I think it had a real effect on all of them and made them closer than they might have been otherwise." She commented. "We're a lot like that too, but it's because Dad is such a part of out lives and never lets us forget how much we mean to him."

"Dan told me that your dad had it rough growing up."

Ann nodded. "He doesn't talk about it much and Mama doesn't either. But what she _does_ say is he's the father to us he is because of _his_ father and Tom McCawley for that matter."

"I've noticed that your dads are really close." Hank observed.

"They grew up like brothers. After Dad's father died, he went to live with the McCawley's until he and Major McCawley joined the Air Corps. Danny inherited his father's love of flying that's for sure." She smiled.

"He was the best pilot in our class. I don't think he's ever believed it even though our instructors told him often enough, but there wasn't anyone who could out fly him."

"Not even you?" She laughed.

"_Especially_ me." He grinned. "I was always glad that I drew him as a roommate that first year because if it hadn't been him, I don't know that I would have made it through."

"Have _you_ told him that?" She asked, repeating his earlier question to her.

"Several times. But Dan being the kind of guy he is always told me that I would have made it through just fine without him. I'm just glad I never had to find out." He admitted.

The song came to an end and Hank smiled at her. "Thanks Ann, it was nice to have a chance to talk to you."

"It was nice to talk to you too." She answered as they walked back to the table. What she saw when she got there shouldn't have surprised her, but it did.

"Evelyn?" She heard the surprise in Hank's voice. Seated next to Danny was a young woman that Ann didn't know. She was dressed in the uniform of a Navy WAVE and to say that she was stunning didn't begin to describe her. Her dark hair was gathered into a knot at the nape of her neck and her blue eyes fairly sparkled in a face with a complexion that was flawless.

Her eyes _would_ have to be blue.

Danny stood up and cleared his throat. "Evelyn, you remember Hank."

"It hasn't been _that _long Dan, of course I remember him." She said smoothly and stood up next to him. Ann knew right then and there that she didn't stand a chance.

It wasn't fair to dislike her already but Ann did, very much. She never gave it much thought when she heard Hank call him Dan but this strange girl, scratch that, this _woman_ calling him that suddenly made her feel very young and very much out of her league.

"What brings you to Hawaii?" Hank asked as he held out Ann's chair and waited for her to sit down before he went back to his chair next to Sarah and sat down.

"The public relations firm I work with deals heavily with the military and they've transferred me to Hawaii to work as a civilian consultant here at Wheeler." She smiled at Danny and touched his arm. "Well, I really need to be leaving, I just had to come over and say hello. I'll talk to you later."

__

Transferred?

Ann watched her go and her fear about things being over before they got a chance to start became very real. She looked at Danny and willed her face to stay cool. "She seems very nice."

The look in his eyes seemed to plead with her not to misunderstand. "I'm sorry that I didn't have the chance to introduce you."

"She certainly seems to think a lot of you." Mrs. Dearborn commented from the other table.

"I knew her when I was at the Academy Mrs. Dearborn. She and a group of her girlfriends used to come to the football games every season." He explained to her.

__

How well did you know her? Ann couldn't help but think and hated herself for it.

"It's a little odd that she has your name Ev." Ann's mother said. "Things could get a little confusing."

"I don't know about that honey." Ann's father commented as he put his arm on the back of her chair. "Once she has the chance to start meetin' people, we may not see too much of her."

"I don't think so Danny." Major Winkle disagreed with her father. "She certainly seems to know what she wants."

"But it certainly doesn't mean that she's going to _get_ what she wants." Mrs. Winkle put a hand on his arm. "Fate has a mind of it's own and works out in ways we never expect."

"Ann, are you all right? You're looking a little pale." Her mother reached over for her hand. "You're hands are cool too. I think maybe you should go home and get some rest. This evening seems to have taken it's toll."

__

In more ways than one.

"If you're not feeling well, I can take you home." Danny offered and she knew that all he wanted was a chance to explain things to her.

The truth was the comfort she felt when Danny's arms were around her ebbed away when she saw that girl sitting next to him. "I'm sorry Mama."

"For what honey?" And she looked concerned.

"We were all looking forward to this evening and I had to go and ruin it." And she could feel her eyes fill with tears. But she wasn't about to cry in front of Danny, again.

"It ain't your fault honey; it's just somethin' that we didn't expect." Her father said to her as he stood up, walked over to her chair and hugged her when she stood up. "Why don't you let Danny take you home so you can get some rest?"

She held him tight. "All right Dad. If it'll make you and Mama feel better, I'll go home."

Her mother stood up and when she let go of her father, she was in her mother's arms and she asked Ann quietly. "Is there something more to this than your claustrophobia?"

All she could do was nod.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

She shook her head.

"That's all right honey." Mama smiled at her as Ann let her go. "I'll come check on you when we get home"

Ann nodded again and saw Danny stand up.

Hank glanced up at him and didn't look happy as he stopped him with firm hand. "Explain things to her Dan." He said it so softly that Ann was surprised that she heard it.

"I'll take care of it." He said just as quietly before he approached Ann. "Let's get you home."

She nodded without comment and followed him through the crowd and out of the hangar. Nothing was said between them as they crossed the tarmac toward the parking lot.

"She seems nice." Ann finally said.

His answer was blunt. "You said that already and it's not what you think. She knew I had a girlfriend."

"Well she obviously doesn't care or she found out that you and Caroline aren't together anymore." And the minute the words were out of her mouth, she knew that was the case. "She knows that you and Caroline broke up."

He nodded. "Her parents stopped at the table while you and Hank were dancing. Evelyn was already there and they mentioned that Caroline was seeing someone back there."

"And so she thinks that you're available."

"It's not like that." He sighed.

"I think it's _exactly _like that." She stated.

He stopped and grasped her elbow. It was a habit he was getting into and Ann was beginning to dislike it. "No it's not because the only girl I'm available to is you." He disagreed before he leaned over to kiss her but she pulled her elbow out of his grasp and stepped back. The look on his face was a mixture of hurt and anger. Was he upset with her or with Evelyn because she showed up when she did? Ann wasn't sure.

He sighed before he continued to walk toward his car.

They didn't speak again until Danny pulled up in front of her house and shut down the engine. They sat in the quiet and she sensed that he wanted to say something but wouldn't. Instead he got out of the car and walked around to her side and opened the door. He waited for her to get out before they walked up to her front porch. "It's been quite an evening." He said unnecessarily.

__

An understatement to be sure.

She couldn't look at him. "And some things happened that I never expected."

"Were any of them good?" He asked her softly.

She could feel the tears come again. "One of them was _very_ good."

"Then why won't you look at me?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "Please look at me Ann."

When she finally did look at him the tears began to fall. "You never gave her a chance because you were with Caroline and maybe she's the one you're meant to be with." He tried to protest and Ann shook her head as she struggled for the words to tell him was she was feeling. "She obviously thinks the world of you and I know how she feels. But before we go any farther with this I think it's only fair that you give her a chance."

He tried to protest again. "Please let me finish before I make a complete fool of myself. I'm not saying that I don't care for you or that you don't care for me, because I know you do. But as much as you care for me, I don't want what could have been with her to ever come between us. So I want to request that we put this on hold until you've had a chance to spend some time with her and know without a doubt in your mind that it's _me_ that you want to pursue."

"I already know you're the girl I want and I don't have any doubts." He tried to persuade her and she could hear the panic in his voice.

"But maybe I_ do_. I don't ever want to feel that you settled for me when there was someone who was more suited to you."

"Ann, no one is more suited to me than..." She put her arms around his neck and stopped his words with a heartfelt kiss. She could feel his arms slip around her waist as the surprise wore off and he began to kiss her back. But it wasn't what she wanted to happen and knew that she needed to bring it to an end before things got out of hand and as difficult as it was, she let him go.

Ann felt as though her heart would beat right out of her chest and it didn't help matters that she'd never seen Danny look so stunned. All she wanted to do was feel his arms around her again and feel the warmth of his lips on hers.

He seemed to feel the same way because he reached for her, but she stepped away. "Ann."

She opened the screen door and then the front door. "You have to give her a chance Danny; it's the only way that I won't have any doubts." And she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She leaned against it and it was then the tears flowed freely.

"Ann, please come back out here so we can talk about this." He pleaded to her through the closed door.

She was quiet and when she reached for the handkerchief in her handbag, she pulled out Danny's instead and it made her cry even more.

"Ann." His voice cracked and she knew he was hurt. She put her handbag down on the side table and walked out to the back porch. She curled up on the sofa with Danny's handkerchief in her shaky hands and wondered if she just threw away a chance at something special with someone really special.

Only time would tell.


	17. What's A Guy To Do?

He didn't know long he stood at the door and listened to her cry.

The sound of it made his chest tight because he knew that he was the cause of it. It was just damn bad luck that Evelyn showed up when she did and inadvertently fractured something that was already so fragile.

Ann was right, in a way when she told him that he never gave Evelyn a chance. Part of it _was_ because of Caroline, but he knew that if he were interested in her at the time he would have broken things off with Caroline so he could date Evelyn without recriminations. But she made it clear after they'd known each other for a few months that she wasn't interested in him as anything more than a friend. He botched it badly when he tried to explain that to Ann because it seemed the more he tried to clarify what he meant the misunderstanding got worse.

The house was too quiet and Danny hoped that she was all right. He didn't want to leave her alone, but he couldn't very well camp out on the porch swing the way he wanted to and not raise a lot of questions. So he turned around and stepped off the porch, walked to his car and got in. He started the engine and put it into gear with the intention of going back to his quarters. It didn't take him long to decide, however that it was too far away from Ann and instead drove two houses down to his parents and parked in front.

The knot in his stomach that was a constant companion all the way through the Academy returned but this time is was because he was afraid that because he hadn't told Ann about Evelyn he might lose her before he really had a chance with her.

He walked into the house and the familiarity of it eased the knot a bit, but it also made him wish that his father were there to talk to. Talk to him about what, though? The only thing Dad knew was that he finally broke up with Caroline but didn't know that he kissed Ann at Thanksgiving.

He headed down to his old room and tried to remember if he still had any clothes there. He opened the door, turned on the light and his room was just as he left it when he'd been home for Christmas. The plain blue bedspread covered the double bed and his desk and dresser were where he left them. The model airplanes he made with his father when he was little hung suspended from the ceiling as well as a mobile of small P-40's and B-25's that Dad's friend Gooz Harrison made for him before he was born. Mama always joked when Captain Harrison gave it to them he was hinting that their baby should be a pilot.

He found a pair of dungarees in his dresser drawer and a clean tee shirt. He changed into his civvies and hung the old Air Corps uniform on the back of the bedroom door. He'd have to remember to take it with him when he left so that he could return it to the pilot's widow he borrowed it from. He found an old pair of loafers in his closet and slipped them on before he turned off the light and walked out to the living room. The one place he wanted to be was the back porch, but he detoured to the kitchen to see if there was a bottle of beer in the refrigerator. There was and he found a bottle opener to pry off the cap, then walked outside.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair as he sat down because he'd felt every emotion that night and ended up feeling as though he'd been pulled through a wringer. What he felt for Ann snuck up on him so quietly and he sure as hell wasn't ready for it, at first. But once he'd gotten used to the idea and figured out that she didn't have a boyfriend, he knew he needed to see if she could be even remotely interested in _him_.

It wasn't something that Danny wondered about anymore for obvious reasons, but just what in the hell had it gotten him? He was alone on a sofa with a cold beer in his hand feeling sorry for himself. He made Ann cry twice that night and for completely different reasons. And if he could have changed it he would have.

She wanted him to give Evelyn a chance, but it wasn't what _he_ wanted.

She said he should be with a girl his own age, but he wanted _her_ and it didn't matter that she was five years younger. Danny knew that he took much too long to do anything about Caroline and maybe Dad was right after all, that she _was_ a placeholder.

Not for Evelyn though, but for Ann.

She wanted him to do something about Evelyn so that she wouldn't have doubts about his feelings for her. But he didn't _have_ any feelings for Evelyn and he didn't want to waste his time or _hers_ on something that wasn't going to go anywhere. But Ann needed to be sure that there was nothing unresolved between them and Danny understood what it was that she was asking him to do; he just didn't like it.

But he also understood that unless he spent some time with Evelyn, he could lose his chance with Ann.

The knot in his stomach began to ease because as much as he hated to admit it, it was something that he was going to have to do. He wanted to make sure that she would never have any doubts in a future relationship they would have.

With that settled, he walked back into the house and headed to the telephone. It probably wasn't fair to her to want to talk, but because it might be awhile before he could be alone with her again he called.

The phone rang for what seemed hours. "Hello?" Her soft voice was on the other end of the line and Danny's chest got tight again.

"Ann, it's me." He cleared his throat twice before he got it out.

"Danny." He could her the admonition in her voice.

"I've thought a lot about what you said and I'd like to talk to you about it. Will you take a walk with me so I can tell you?"

"I've already told you how I feel about this." She reminded him and he thought she sounded tired.

"I know you have but you didn't give me much of a chance to respond. If I have to spend some time with Evelyn so that you and I can give whatever it is between us a try, then you can at least hear me out."

"That's true." She admitted.

"It also wasn't fair of you to kiss me the way you did and not let me kiss you back." He sighed.

He didn't hear anything for a moment and wondered what was going through her mind. "I wouldn't have done it if I thought I was going to see you again tonight." She finally said.

He wanted to say something else about it, about how it made his heart stop before it started again and threatened to beat clear out of his chest before she let him go. "Would you meet me down at the beach? The full moon is out so it won't be too hard to see and there won't be a chance anyone will overhear." He said instead.

"All right. I'll meet you in five minutes; I just need to change."

Danny wanted to ask her not to because she looked so pretty but knew it wouldn't be fair because he already had. "Five minutes then."

"Five minutes." She repeated. "I'll be there."

"I'll be waiting." He answered and the line went dead. He hung up the receiver and walked back out to the porch to pick up his beer bottle. He carried the half-consumed bottle into the kitchen, poured out what was left and rinsed it out before he left it on the counter.

He was anxious to get down to the beach so he stepped outside and closed the door firmly behind him. He left the one light in the living room on and a note for his parents that he was there and would be back.

It was hard for him to believe that it was December because he was outside in a tee shirt and no jacket. It was something he couldn't have done in Colorado and because of that it always made him homesick during his four years there.

He glanced out at the ocean and thought he saw a couple of surfers. With the moon so bright, the more adventurous surfers always took advantage of the pale light and would ride the waves in a few times. It was never something that appealed to him before he left for school, but now that he was home maybe he would give it a try. If he could train to become a combat pilot in the Air Force' newest jet he could certainly handle his surfboard in the moonlight.

"Danny?"

He turned around and saw Ann. She was wearing a print dress that stopped just above her knees, her arms were covered with a light sweater and she had a pair of sandals on. From the light of the street lamp he could see that she looked as tired as she sounded on the phone and knew it was his fault. "Thanks for coming."

"You changed." And he saw her face flush.

He nodded. "I found some clothes in my old room that I must have left behind from last Christmas."

"You didn't go back to your quarters?" She seemed surprised.

Danny shook his head. "I couldn't. I _started_ to but with you so upset I didn't want to be too far away and I went to my parents."

"Are you going to sleep there tonight?"

"I was planning on it." He answered and wondered why she wanted to know.

He wanted so much to take her hand in his as they walked down to the beach, but knew she would resist. Besides, this wasn't the time for it and he knew that.

"So what is it that you wanted to say?" She asked without rancor as they began to walk.

"Before I get to that, there's something that you didn't give me the chance to finish that I'd like to finish now." She nodded and he continued.

"If I had been interested in Evelyn I would have broken things off with Caroline a lot sooner than I did. The fact is Evelyn was no more interested in me and she let me know that from the beginning. She and I were only ever friends and once football season was over senior year, I didn't see that much of her."

"You _did_ try to tell me there wasn't anything there." She conceded.

"Ann, I swear that I wasn't trying to hide anything. It just didn't occur to me to tell you about her because she didn't mean anything to me."

"Thank you."

"Anyway, if you still want me to do this so there won't be any unresolved issues or feelings between us than I'll do it. But make no mistake that I'm doing this under protest and I'm only doing it because I care about you and what you think of me."

"Thank you." She repeated.

"You said that already." He teased and for the first time since she'd left him alone on her porch he felt as though he could smile.

"It wasn't easy for me to ask, but I need to be sure." She sighed.

"I know. And it isn't easy for me to agree to it but I do because I never want you to ever doubt that I care for you."

Danny saw the tears well up in her eyes. "She looked so sure of herself in that uniform and I felt like a little girl playing dress up."

"I wish you'd told me that earlier." He chided her gently.

"How could I? I was so surprised to see her there and sitting next to you. I stood there thinking that she didn't have that right but I couldn't say anything."

"If it helps it surprised me too. She showed up at our table and I had to act like I wasn't aware that the girl I care about was going to come back at any minute and see her. I couldn't let on to my family how awkward it was going to be because they might figure out that there was more to our being out on the tarmac together than your claustrophobia." Danny added.

"Do you think I'm being silly about this?" Ann asked him and she looked unsure.

"No." He cautiously took her by her arms, not sure if she would resist and when she didn't pulled her toward him. "I think you're being sensible and doing what's going to make this all right for you. And if it means that at the end of all of this we can have our chance, then it'll be worth it."

She rested her hands on his forearms and he got goose pimples from the feel of them on his skin. "I never had the chance to thank you for taking me to the dance tonight and being so wonderful about my claustrophobia."

"You scared the hell out of me." He looked into her eyes to let her know that he was serious.

"I know. I scared myself pretty badly too, but you were there with me so I knew everything was going to be all right."

He smiled and pulled her closer. "Haven't you figured it out yet Annie? I'd do anything for you."

"Even when you don't agree with it."

"_Especially_ when I don't agree with it." He said and wanted so badly to put his arms around her and kiss her the way she kissed him earlier.

It was as though she read his thoughts because she let go of his arms, put her arms around his waist and looked up at him. "You said on the phone that it wasn't fair that I didn't give you a chance to kiss me back and if you still want to, I won't stop you."

"Ann." He was more than a little confused. Did she still want him to spend time with Evelyn or had she changed her mind?

"You wouldn't have mentioned it if wasn't on your mind and for the record, you _did_ kiss me back." She clarified. "But I stopped you because at that moment I didn't want you to."

"So why now?"

"I don't want you think that I don't care for you and if you're willing to do this for me the least I can do is let you finish that kiss because I know you won't let it get out of hand."

She trusted him.

He couldn't help but smile. "Can I expect the same from you?"

She laughed and he hoped it meant that they would be all right. "I'm not making any promises."

Her admission surprised him and he didn't know why it should. Ann was always honest and she was only being truthful about herself. "I think I've just been warned."

"You make it sound as though I might ravish you." Her smile grew wider and from the weak light Danny could see that her face was red as a beet.

"I wouldn't stop you." He answered as he pulled her close and kissed her. Her lips trembled under his and he was aware enough to know that she probably didn't realize it. With everything they'd been through that night he wanted to keep the kiss light, but she seemed to have other ideas. She pushed herself up on her toes to get closer to him and he tightened his hold around her waist.

If he ever thought that the occasional kiss from Caroline could be incendiary, it was nothing compared to a kiss from Ann because he knew that it wasn't being used for something she wanted from him. What she _did_ want was to show him how much she cared about him and what she felt came through loud and clear.

He wanted so much to let his hands explore so he could begin to get to know her but she beat him to the punch. He could feel her hands begin to roam up and down his back, hesitantly at first, as though she wanted to learn the feel of him. When he responded with his own hands on _her_ back she became more emboldened.

Danny was caught by surprise when he felt the back of his tee shirt come loose and then her soft hands were on his bare back. Logically he knew that he would never let the situation get out of hand because she trusted him. But the feel of her skin on his suddenly tested that trust and the hand that rested in the small of her back moved lower than it should have. He pulled her closer than he should have because his body suddenly betrayed him and he knew if he didn't let her go he wouldn't be able to think anymore.

He broke the kiss, slower than he knew was prudent and slipped his hand back up to where it should have stayed in the first place. He smiled at her as her eyes fluttered open. "Ann, are you trying to ravish me?"

"That hand was much lower than it should have been Lieutenant." She admonished him as she smiled back and it was then that he knew he could fall in love with her.

"I didn't hear any objections." He countered.

"You never gave me the chance." She said and seemed to be reluctant to let him go because her hands lingered gently on his back.

With a feather touch that would subsequently keep him awake at night from the memory of it, Danny knew that it was time to get her home. It would be too easy to succumb to the urge to kiss her again and he couldn't know with absolute certainty that he would be able to stop himself.

He reached from behind, took her hands from around his waist and brought them around to where he could see them. He'd never really looked at her hands before and for the first time saw how slender they were. One of her fingernails was broken and he wondered when that happened. He let go of her hands long enough to tuck the back of his tee shirt in before he took one of them in a firm grip and they headed back up the beach.

They didn't talk but after what just happened Danny didn't think they needed to. Ann was the kind of girl who could let someone know what was on her mind just by a look and she'd given him a few different ones that evening.

As they approached his parent's house, he saw that his car was still the only one there. He looked at his watch under the light of the street lamp and saw that it was still early. "I hope they're having a great time." He commented. "Wheeler really knows how to put on a show."

"I hope so too. Dad isn't much of a dancer unless he's with Mama and she can't get him out on the dance floor with anyone else except Shelby or me."

"I know how he feels." He smiled as they passed his parent's house and proceeded to hers. They turned into the yard and he walked her up to the front porch. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me, I feel a lot better now."

"Thank you for persisting because I feel better too."

The porch light was off but Danny was able to see her from the illumination of a lamp in the living room window. "After what just happened, I don't suppose I can talk you out of this idea you have about Evelyn."

"I want so much to say yes. But then there would always be a question in the back of my mind and I don't want that."

"I just thought I'd ask."

"Just don't have too much fun." She said and she had a smile on her face.

"I don't know Ann you throw Evelyn at me and then don't want me to have any fun." Danny teased her and was gratified to hear her laugh.

"You know darn well what I mean."

"I know what you mean." He said as he held her hands in his. "Is there a time limit on this thing or are you going to keep me guessing?"

"There's no limit. I just want you to take the time you need to get to know her a little better and _you're_ the best judge of that."

"So how will this work?"

"I think that while you're spending time with her we should steer clear of each other." She began.

He didn't like the sound of it. "You mean I can't see you at all?"

"I know you don't like this but it's the best way I can think of because if you don't see me, you can't get distracted. Then it'll take you less time to know for sure."

Ann sounded so sensible about it.

"All right." He agreed, reluctantly. "But since I'm going to do this for you and can't see you for the duration I'm adding a condition."

She looked a little wary. "A condition?"

He nodded. "I think it's only fair."

"What's your condition?"

"It's simple. When I decide that I've spent enough time with Evelyn you have to have dinner with me at the Royal Hawaiian. I'll give you twenty-four hours notice before I come to your parent's door in my dress uniform. And if you want to wear your mother's dress again that would be fine with me because _I_ thought you were beautiful." He sighed. "I know I said that we should have a chance to get used to this before we had to answer a lot of questions. But if it's all the same to you, when this is said and done I don't care if the entire state of Hawaii knows how much I care about you. And if it means that your dad grills me, I can live with that."

"The Royal Hawaiian?" She sounded a little breathless because she understood the significance of his choice.

"I can't think of a better place, can you? You're parents spent their honeymoon there and it's where Dad officially proposed to Mama."

"When she was six months along with Sarah." He heard her gentle laugh in the dark.

"It's the thought that counts Ann. So what do you say, is it a deal?" And he waited, not sure what she would say.

"It's a deal." She finally answered and he released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"Then I think we need to seal that deal, don't you?" He grinned because he knew she would understand what he meant.

"I gather that you have something in mind?"

"I do." And he kissed her.

"I like the way you think." She whispered as he held her close.

"And I like the way you kiss me." He answered before he kissed her again and then let her go. "I'd better let you get inside before your parents come home and find us out here."

"In spite of how it began I really did have a nice time tonight." She told him as she opened the screen door. "And I'm glad it didn't end up the way it might have earlier."

"So am I."

She then opened the front door. "You might want to explain all of this to Hank. He saw you kiss me when we were dancing and if he suddenly sees you with Evelyn he might lay you out."

He grinned because it _was_ something his former roommate would do. "I'll talk to him tomorrow and he'll wonder which one of us needs our head examined."

"I have no doubt." Ann smiled and Danny didn't think it could be possible that she would get even prettier.

"Why don't you get inside and get some sleep, you've had a long day."

"So have you." She said as she stepped into the house. She turned to face him from the other side of the screen door, but didn't move.

"Ann, the way this is supposed to work is that you close your door and I go to my parents. I can't leave you if that door stays open."

She looked as though she wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Close the door Ann, I promise I won't be far." He urged her and when she finally did he turned and stepped off the porch.

He walked back to his parent's house and realized the knot in his stomach was gone. His talk with Ann was the reason and he learned that night that he could talk to her about anything because she would always hear him out.


	18. Giving It A Shot

"Have you completely lost your mind or are you not getting enough oxygen when you're up there?" Hank was incredulous as he pointed toward the sky. "You finally get rid of Caroline and find a girl that makes you happy and she talks you into something as bone-headed as this."

"I don't like it any more than you do, but unless I do this she won't let it go any farther." Danny tried to defend himself. "She's got it in her head that I didn't give Evelyn a chance when we were in Colorado and unless I do it now, Ann is always going to wonder if I gave up something special to be with her. And as much as I don't like this I don't ever want there to be anything between us."

"Sarah's not going to like this."

He nodded. "I know. She hasn't exactly been subtle about Ann and when she sees me with Evelyn she's going to read me the riot act."

"Kind of like me." Hank laughed as they rested after their afternoon run. "I'm sorry Dan, I didn't mean to be so rough on you but it doesn't make sense to me."

"But it makes sense to _me_ and I'm willing to do this if it means that we'll have a real chance."

"Ann isn't the kind of girl you trifle with you know, she's the kind of girl you marry." He pointed out.

"And I damn well know that." Danny frowned.

"I didn't mean it that way so don't be a smart-ass." He sighed. "The fact is when I saw you together last night I couldn't help but think that I'd never seen two people who were more right for each other."

"I made her cry." He admitted.

"I'll bet you did seeing as how she didn't know about Evelyn, but you also said that when you felt her hands on your back you could have made love to her right there on the beach."

The admission of it made him flush. "Don't remind me."

"You were only being honest with me about it. Besides, if you _had _done it or even _tried_ we wouldn't be talking right now; you'd be unconscious."

Danny smiled because he knew that Hank had become very protective of Ann since he began to spend so much time with his family and hers. "So when did you decide to make yourself her older brother?"

"Since she didn't have one and I thought she needed one. And Sarah thinks the world of her."

"They've been as close as two sisters can be. As long as I can remember, Sarah wouldn't do anything if Annie couldn't do it with her. It didn't matter that she was four years younger because I think she was always envious that Ann had a sister and she didn't."

"But Sarah _has_ an older brother. That's why I keep a closer eye on Ann than I probably should." Hank made his own admission. "_I_ think the world of her too."

"I know you do and I know that this doesn't make a lot of sense, but you have to understand that I would do anything for her. Even if it means that I have to spend some time with Evelyn when I'd rather be with Ann."

"Dan, I'm going to tell you what I told her last night. If you give this thing between you a chance, I think you could end up falling in love with each other."

It was an incredible thought only because he couldn't think past the next few days, or weeks. _Weeks? _"I can't think about that now. You said it yourself, I just broke up with Caroline and now I've got this new wrinkle with Evelyn. The whole thing with Ann sneaked up on me and I didn't have a real chance to spend any time with her before Evelyn showed up."

"It does kind of throw a monkey wrench into things, doesn't it? She shows up without warning and puts the brakes on things with Ann." He grinned. "We should all have such problems."

"Now who's being the smart-ass?" Danny frowned.

"Lighten up Dan. It's not like you have to marry her; you just need to spend some time with her. For all you know, this whole thing could be a moot point."

"Maybe. But there _is_ still the matter of Ann thinking that I have unresolved feelings for Evelyn. And I don't know how to convince her that I don't."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what to tell you because she's a headstrong girl."

"That's a big help, thank you." Danny glared at him.

"What are friends for?" He laughed. "Dan, these things generally have a way of working themselves out if you give it a little time. So my advice, for what it's worth is to ride this out and Evelyn will let you know where she stands."

"Hopefully before Annie gives up on me."

"Don't be so dramatic. Ann strikes me as the kind of girl that doesn't give up easily and she may have already figured that you're worth waiting for."

"It seems that every time I would see you boys together, you were always talking." A cheerful voice cut in to their conversation.

Danny knew that he shouldn't have felt angry but he did. Evelyn seemed to show up out of nowhere. "It's how we got through the Academy, by talking things out."

Her eyebrows lifted. "My goodness. Someone got up on the wrong side of the beach this morning, didn't they? And after such a lovely evening too."

"It was a real surprise seeing you last night." Hank observed. "We didn't have any idea you were coming out here."

Evelyn seemed surprised by the unfriendliness of both men and her eyebrows came together in a frown. "I wasn't aware that I needed to give you my life's itinerary Henry."

"Not your _life's_ itinerary Evelyn, just the one that brought you here." He answered.

She put her hands on her hips. "I explained last night what brought me here. And since when did it become necessary for me to keep you apprised of my whereabouts?"

"I just find it an odd coincidence that you show up after Dan breaks things off with Caroline." Hank frowned. "And then you show up at the dance last night."

"Oh honestly Hank, you make it sound as though I planned the whole thing." Evelyn sighed. "I didn't know about Dan and Caroline until last night. And I don't know what's so hard to understand about my job bringing me here, we work with the military."

Danny knew that as long as Hank and Evelyn continued to spar with each other, he wouldn't be able to talk to her and it was important to him that they did. "Hank, why don't you head back to your quarters? We've gotten our run in for the day."

"Are you sure?"

"Get out of here will you?" He frowned and waited for his friend to leave, reluctantly.

"I don't understand how he can be so grouchy in a beautiful place like this." She commented. "I've only been here for a couple of weeks and I can't imagine living anywhere else."

They began to walk up the beach. "Now you know what I meant when I talked about this place."

"And why you hoped to be stationed here when you graduated." She nodded. "Hank seemed particularly out of sorts and that isn't like him."

"There were things that happened after I got home that were unexpected." He began. "The truth is, after I broke up with Caroline my intention was to concentrate on flying and not worry about a girlfriend to keep happy."

Evelyn smiled as though she knew something. "But that didn't last very long did it? I can't imagine a handsome man like you being unattached for very long."

__

How could he explain it?

Danny decided that it was best just to get it out in the open so that she wouldn't be in the dark. "The fact is there's a girl I've known for most of my life and things got a little complicated after I got home."

"Would she be that young woman who was with Hank last night?" She smiled at him.

He nodded the affirmative. "Ann Walker."

"I can see why she got your attention. She's a pretty girl."

Danny sighed because he got a sudden image of Ann in her mother's dress. "The thing is, because you were so friendly with me last night she seems to think that there's something unresolved or unspoken between us."

"Oh, boy." Evelyn frowned.

"And that would explain why Hank was a little rude to you. He took Ann under his wing after he got here and has been keeping an eye on her since."

"I'm really sorry about all of this Dan, but why didn't you just say something? I would have backed off and not made her feel like I was an old flame."

"I couldn't. This whole situation is so new to the both of us that we haven't told anyone yet." He admitted. "Then she decided that I needed to spend some time with you to make sure there wasn't any unresolved feelings."

It was her turn to sigh. "Did you try explaining all of this to her last night?"

"Annie's a stubborn girl. Once she gets something in her head, she can't let it go."

Evelyn raised her eyebrows and looked as though she was trying not to laugh. "Annie?"

"I've called her that since we were kids and I've tried not to do it since I've been home." Danny explained and then he grinned. "Except when I want to tease her."

She tucked her arm through his as they walked. "It sounds to me as though you could be in love with her."

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Well if you aren't, I think you're well on your way. You get this look in your eyes when you talk about her and it's not a look I ever saw when you talked about Caroline."

"She wasn't Ann."

"I won't argue with that. I never _met_ Caroline and you were probably more charitable about her than you should have been because she sounded like a real pill."

Her bluntness surprised Danny and he stopped. "You never told me that."

She took his arm again and they continued to walk. "I _couldn't_ tell you because she was still your girlfriend. But now that she isn't anymore and I actually got to meet the girl who put that dreamy look in your eyes I thought it was time to tell you that."

"I honestly don't know what to do because she won't see me until she thinks I've worked all of this out."

She let go of his arm and stopped. "Did she give you a timetable?"

He shook his head. "She figured that I would know after I'd spent some time with you."

Evelyn smiled and then she laughed. "She _is_ stubborn isn't she? But she also sounds like a young woman who cares a great deal for you and wants what she might have with you without a shadow over it. And if it means that we spend a little time together, then I'll do what I can to help."

"Thanks."

"Never let it be said that I wasn't willing to give Cupid a few more arrows for his quiver."

He nodded and they began to walk again. There was something he wanted to say and didn't know if he should.

"What aren't you telling me Dan?" She put her hand on his arm to stop him.

"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"Ask away."

Danny took a deep breath and sighed. "Were you ever in a situation with a guy you liked and you seriously considered going all the way?"

Evelyn seemed startled by the inquiry and she flushed.

Her reaction embarrassed him. "Never mind it's too personal."

"Are you saying that's what happened between you and Ann last night?" She avoided the question with one of her own.

He felt the heat rise up his neck. "I dated a couple of girls when I was at Pearl High before I met Caroline and it never seriously crossed my mind with any of them."

"It sounds to me like Ann is someone pretty special." She observed. "But it says a lot about you that you kept those impulses under control. With her mindset the way it is, a moment's pleasure on the beach might have become an accusation."

He frowned in confusion. "How do you figure?"

"If any _real_ intimacy caused her to change her mind about what she sees as our settling things she might have seen it as a act of persuasion, not as an act of affection." Evelyn explained. "And then you would have been in a situation where you probably would have lost any chance at all."

"I think I knew that in the back of my mind and it's why I didn't let it get out of hand."

Evelyn looked him in the eye. "You didn't let it get out of hand because you care so much about her."

He laughed. "That and the fact that Hank would have knocked me out cold."

She smiled in return and shrugged. "You know him better than I do, so I'll take your word on it. So what do you want to do about this?"

"I want to take Ann in my arms and..."

"Dan, you need to focus." She admonished him. "What do want to _do_ about this?"

"I don't want to take too long, that's for damn sure." A glance from her got him back on track. "If you have the time maybe you could meet me here and take a walk?"

"I can do that, but what if she sees us together?"

"I don't think that will happen. Since I kissed her at Thanksgiving she's been avoiding the beach because she knows I jog here every afternoon."

Evelyn smiled. "I don't know her Dan but I sure like her."

"So do I Evelyn and I'm hoping to get a chance again to prove it to her."

She stopped and let go of his arm. "I'll meet you here again tomorrow about this same time and we can go for a walk."

Danny looked at his watch to note the time and nodded. "I'll be here."

"Trust her Dan and give her time. I have the feeling it'll all work out for the two of you. In the meantime, I need to get home."

"Thanks for listening, it really helped."

She smiled at him before she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Just call me Cupid's Helper." And she walked away.

Danny looked at his watch again and saw that he needed to head home himself. Mama asked him when he left the house that morning to come for dinner and he wanted to get cleaned up before then.

He didn't know if Evelyn was supposed to know about what Ann asked, but he'd always been up front with her and didn't want to do anything differently this time.

As he walked up the beach he found the spot where he'd kissed Ann the night before and the memory of it made him smile.

With Evelyn's help he might have a chance with her after all.


	19. Getting What You Ask For

It was what she asked him to do for her, but Ann wasn't prepared for the sight of them together.

The McCawley's were at her parent's house for Christmas Eve and Danny was there with Evelyn. She explained that with her workload she couldn't get home in time for Christmas but that she made arrangements so that she would be home for New Years to ring in 1965 with her family.

As the evening progressed however, Ann came to realize that her initial dislike of Evelyn was unfair because she really seemed like a nice girl and went out of her way to engage Ann in conversation. She grew used to Danny being referred to as Dan by someone other than Hank because it fit his adult status as an Air Force pilot.

Evelyn was curious about her childhood and how it felt to grow up on Oahu and a military base.

"Dan talked a lot about this place when he was at the Academy and how he missed the winters here." She smiled. "He never got used to Colorado."

"I know what he's talking about." Ann replied. "My family spent every other Christmas in Ohio with my mother's parents when I was little and I never got used to it either."

"I'm from Chicago and I don't think they make winters any colder than they do there."

Ann was curious. "Then how did you end up in Colorado?"

"I wanted out." She said simply. "Don't misunderstand, I miss my family like crazy and wish I could get back to the States more often to see them but when you've been through a few Chicago blizzards anything is bound to be an improvement."

Ann couldn't help but smile. "But it snows there too."

"But nothing like Illinois. I certainly never expected to end up in Hawaii."

"I can't imagine living anywhere else."

Evelyn looked thoughtful for a moment and seemed to choose her words carefully. "But what if you end up marrying a military man? He's bound to be transferred a few times in his career."

Ann didn't know what to make of her comment. "I hadn't really given it any thought. I haven't even graduated high school yet and I'll more than likely end up at the University of Hawaii."

"You wouldn't consider going away to college?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"I don't know why. Sarah's there and will be graduating in June and Joe's in the middle of his freshman year." Ann explained. "It seems to be the family thing to do."

"You think of yourself as part of the McCawley family then." She asked.

Ann's own curiosity was peaked with all of Evelyn's questions. "Our dad's grew up together in Tennessee and went through their flight training together. Danny's dad went over to England as part of the Eagle Squadron during the Second World War and it was the only time that they were ever separated. Dad says they grew up like brothers and because the six of _us_ grew up her together it was kind of like that for us too."

"You seem to get along really well. Not a lot of families can say that."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know if it's because we're Air Force families or because of where our dads came from but we've always tried to look out for one other."

"And with you and Dan being the oldest you had more responsibility." Evelyn concluded.

"Danny was never one to share the responsibility" Ann clarified. "And it didn't matter that I was the oldest of my sister and brother. Danny was _the_ oldest and he looked after _all_ of us."

She gave Ann a look of sympathy. "That had to chaff sometimes."

"When I got older it did because Shelby and Tom started listening to him and not me." She admitted. "I talked to Dad and Mama about it and they always asked me to be patient because Danny wasn't always going to be around."

"How do you get along now?"

It seemed a perfectly innocent question but Ann felt her face flush. "We get along fine, when we see each other."

"I was thinking maybe now that he's home you can set aside old grievances and bury the hatchet, so to speak. He's easy to talk to and not too hard on the eyes."

"I hadn't noticed." She lied and didn't like it.

Evelyn seemed to take it at face value. "That could be because you grew up with him, but there are plenty of girls who have been giving him the eye."

"Does that bother you?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing new. All the pilots, especially the young ones get the attention and it doesn't matter if they're married or have a steady girl. It's part of the mystique. Would it bother _you_?"

"If I knew that he cared for me and I could trust him it wouldn't bother me."

"Good girl." Evelyn answered with a cryptic smile.

Ann didn't have the chance to ask her what she meant when her father approached. "Annie, why don't you and Evelyn come and join us by the tree. We're goin' to exchange presents now."

Evelyn looked puzzled. "You don't wait until Christmas morning to open your presents?"

"We open our presents with our family on Christmas morning and then everyone else in the afternoon. But it became a tradition when we managed to all here together on Christmas Eve that we would open one present from someone in the other family."

"I didn't bring anything."

"It's all right, you didn't know."

"Thanks." Evelyn smiled at her and seemed grateful.

Ann led her to the tree as her father began to go through the presents. One by one he handed them out and that included Ann's present to Sarah, an Air Force Academy sweatshirt.

The look of surprise on Sarah's face made Ann smile. "Annie, how on earth did you do this?"

"When Danny was taking you around campus the day before we left, I asked Hank to take me to the student P X. I told him what I was looking for and he helped me find it. I hope you like it."

"It's wonderful, and it's big!" She smiled.

"I know how much you like your sweatshirts oversized and I thought that would be big enough."

"It's perfect, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Annie, there's a present here for you from Danny." Her father handed the package to her and she couldn't think of what it could be from the size of it. A glance at Danny yielded no clue.

She unwrapped the box and when she opened it, folded in the tissue was an Academy sweatshirt of her own. It was the same type that she gave to Sarah, but because it came from Danny it seemed so much more personal.

"You stole my thunder Ann." He said quietly. "Here I thought I'd found a unique present and my sister gets one from _you_."

She started to pull it out of the box when she found a second gift tucked into the folds. It was a snow globe with a silhouette of the Air Force Academy. She looked at him again and didn't know what to say.

"It was something you said when you were back for graduation." He seemed to understand her confusion.

"What did I say?" She honestly couldn't remember.

"When Hank and I were taking all of you to the dining room for dinner after ceremonies we were talking about what the campus looked like after the first real snow of the year. You mentioned how you wished you could have seen it."

"And you remembered that?" She shouldn't have been surprised but she was.

He nodded. "Before I left the Academy to come home I found that and figured that it would be your birthday present or Christmas present."

"Thank you, for both gifts."

"You're welcome."

Ann felt a gentle tension from him and sensed that he wanted a more personal thank you from her but couldn't request it.

"I think he deserves a hug for that Ann, what do you think?" Evelyn asked her. "I don't think he'll mind."

"Will _you_?"

She shook her head. "I won't mind at all."

Ann looked at Danny again and he appeared casual as she set the box aside and stood up. She tried to adopt his attitude as she approached him. "Thank you." It came out as a whisper.

"You're welcome." He answered as she put her arms around his neck and sensed his self-control as he put his arms around her. "I'm glad you liked them."

She wanted so much to keep her arms around him and cursed herself for the deal she'd forced him into. But he wasn't hers to hold onto and as she took her arms from around his neck willed him to let go of her, which he finally did.

"The two of you obviously don't see what you're standing under." Evelyn's voice seemed amused and when Ann looked up she and Danny were under a sprig of mistletoe. "So you know what that means."

If Ann didn't know better she would swear that Evelyn deliberately put them in the position that they found themselves. She knew that he wouldn't kiss her the way she was sure he wanted to, not in front of their families or Evelyn for that matter. But she was closer to him than she'd been since the night of the dance three weeks earlier.

He looked as uncomfortable with the situation as she felt but made the best of it. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas Ann."

"Merry Christmas to you too Danny." She answered him before she walked back to the sofa and sat down.

"Dan if you wouldn't mind, would you take me home?" Evelyn requested as she stood up. "I want to call my parents before it gets too late back there so I can wish them a Merry Christmas. I can never remember the time difference."

"Sure Evelyn." He said and headed to the front door.

She looked at Ann for a moment and then smiled. "I hope you get everything that you want for Christmas Ann, I really do."

Evelyn sounded cryptic and Ann still didn't know what to make of it. "Thank you Evelyn. I wish the same for you."

Her voice was low when she leaned over. "You probably think I'm a little batty for throwing you and Dan together the way I did. But you're all he talks about whether he realizes it or not and he hasn't been able to take his eyes off of you all night." And she straightened up. "I just thought you should know that."

As Danny waited for her, Ann's father joined him.

"You're welcome to come back son." He told Danny. "We ain't goin' to be doin' much, just havin' some eggnog and cider and singin' Christmas carols. But you're welcome anyhow."

"Thank you Major, I appreciate the offer. But if it's all the same to you once I get Evelyn home I'm going to head back to my quarters. It's been a long day and I really need some sack time."

"I understand. I know how much your daddy likes to start openin' presents early." He grinned.

"Yes Sir he does." Danny smiled back. "He's usually the first one up."

"I know. He would wake up your grandparents and me at the crack of dawn on Christmas mornin' wantin' to open presents."

"But we always had to wait until after church, didn't we?" Major McCawley laughed.

"That we did Rafe."

Danny's father walked to the door. "Son, why don't you sack out at the house? I know your mama would love to have you and so would I."

"If you wouldn't mind."

He grinned. "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it."

Danny smiled and it was the first time Ann saw it all evening. "Thanks Dad, I'll take you up on it."

"That's more like it. Mama left a light on in the livin' room so just make yourself at home."

"Thanks again Dad." He replied as he waited for Evelyn to say goodnight to Ann's parents. She thanked them for their hospitality and walked out ahead of Danny. Then he was gone.

"All right, ya'll. The cider's hot and Rafe here promised that the eggnog ain't spiked. So why don't you get yourself a cup and pour yourself somethin'." Ann's father ushered everyone to the dining room table where her mother's Christmas china was laid out.

Ann stayed on the sofa with the snow globe in her hands. She shook it and watched as the flakes floated down on the cutout of the Academy and wished she'd been able to thank him the way she really wanted to.

"That was a very nice thing for him to do." Ann heard the gentle voice of her mother as she sat down. "He's always been a very thoughtful young man."

"Mama, I don't remember telling him that." She admitted.

She shrugged. "You may not have been that specific, but it was enough that it stuck in his mind. Your dad's like that too. I can mention something about a book or a recording I heard about and if it's within his power to do so he'll present me with that particular book or the record. It just means that they're good listeners." She explained. "The sweatshirt was nice too."

"It was."

"Why don't you take those back to your room and then join us for some cider?" She smiled and stood up. "Ev's mother sent fudge from Philadelphia and Gram sent her sugar cookies. So if you don't want your brother and sister and Sarah and Joe eat everything, don't take too long."

"I won't." Ann said and watched as her mother joined her father at the table. She stood up and put the globe in the box, picked it up and walked back to her room. She closed the door behind her, sat down on her bed and set the box down next to her. It might have been more prudent to put the globe on her dresser so that it wouldn't appear to be such a personal gift. Instead, she put it on her night table so that she would see it first thing when she woke up.

She took the sweatshirt out of the box to get a better look at it and a folded piece of paper floated to the floor. She picked it up and saw that it was a note from Danny. Her heart began to beat a little faster because she'd never seen anything written in his own hand and wondered what it was he wanted to say to her.

__

The sweatshirt she held in her hands was his.

He explained the sweatshirt that now belonged to her was something he wore for the four winters that he's spent at the Academy. He wanted her to wear it often and when she did imagine that his arms were around her.

Ann didn't understand until that moment how the simplest gifts could be the most romantic. She now had a tangible part of him with her and suddenly didn't miss him so much.

She put his note under her pillow and at his request put the sweatshirt on. It smelled like _him, _a combination of soap and shaving lotion. It was soft and warm against her skin and she _could _almost feel his arms around her and she felt safe.

She would have felt much more self-conscious about the fact that she wore his sweatshirt when she walked back out to the living room if Sarah didn't have _hers_ on as well. She smiled at Ann. "I like your sweatshirt."

"I like yours too. Someone really nice must have given it to you." She smiled back.

"Well if it ain't the Bobsey Twins." Major McCawley grinned at them.

She and Sarah looked at each other. _Bobsey Twins?_

"Dad, would it be all right if we went for a walk?" Sarah asked him as she tucked her arm through Ann's.

He looked at his watch. "It 's all right with me if it's all right with Danny or Sandra. But don't be long."

"We won't." She promised as she approached Mrs. Walker. "Would it be all right if Annie and I took a short walk?"

She looked at her watch as well. "If it's all right with your father or your mother, it's all right with me."

Sarah smiled. "He said it's all right and I promised him we wouldn't be long."

"I'll hold you to that then. Ten minutes and no more, all right Ann?"

"Ten minutes, we won't be late." She promised as Sarah pulled her out the door.

Ann thought for sure that Sarah would head for the beach, but instead walked to her house. "So what do you think about Evelyn?" She asked as they walked inside and sat down on the sofa.

The question didn't surprise her because for the last three weeks, Sarah had tried to find out what was going on. "She's really nice."

"It is kind of hard not to like her, which I was ready to do at the dance. She just seemed to show up out of nowhere."

Ann shrugged. "It's just one of those strange coincidences that make it seem as though it was planned. Hank was pretty rude to her about it."

Sarah looked puzzled. "He never explained why."

"He was being a big brother if you ask me. You once told me how Danny could be such a pain in the neck when it came to your dates. Well it feels that way with Hank for me sometimes. He grills me about my dates and wants to know if it's affecting my schoolwork. He should know by now that I'm not really dating anyone and my schoolwork is just fine. Honestly Sarah, my own _father_ isn't that bad." She sighed.

She laughed at Ann's situation. "Now you finally understand how _I_ felt. But you know it's only because he cares about you."

"I know. And that's why I haven't said anything to him."

Sarah took her hands in hers. "I have to tell you that I was awfully disappointed that nothing happened with you and Danny after he broke up with Caroline."

It took all of Ann's concentration to keep her face cool but felt it warm anyway. She tried to look casual as she spoke to her friend. "And I seem to remember telling you that Danny should be with a girl his own age."

"I know you did and I still disagree." And she looked at her watch.

__

What was this about?

"I know you do and why are you looking at your watch?" It dawned on her that Sarah brought her back to the house for a reason. "You didn't tell your parents that you were going to call Hank for Christmas, did you?"

The look on her face told Ann she'd guessed right.

"Why not? It's not like it's a huge secret that you're seeing each other." And the minute the words were out of her mouth the front door opened and Danny walked into the house. He seemed to do the best he could to not look absolutely stunned and Ann tried to remember how to breathe.

Sarah stood up. "I'll use the phone in my parent's room. Give me five minutes and then we'll go back to your house." She said as she left Ann alone with Danny in the living room.

She stood up and after a few moments found her voice. "First Evelyn and now your sister."

"She doesn't know about anything that's happened." He said and she'd never heard his voice sound so husky.

"I didn't say she did." And she sighed. "Evelyn's really nice."

Danny nodded. "She is, but she's not you."

"Thank you for my presents."

He began to walk toward her. "My sweatshirt looks a lot better on you than it ever did on me."

She felt her face flush and she started to back up but the sofa got in her way. "I doubt that."

"I really want to kiss you." He said and got closer.

"I can see that." She observed. A glance behind her gave her a way out of his path and she moved behind the sofa, which effectively cut him off.

"Then let me." He wasn't deterred and followed her. "It's been the longest three weeks of my life and I've really missed you."

"You're _not_ helping the situation." She admonished him and it came out as a whisper. "You agreed to give it a chance and it's only been three weeks."

"And _you_ didn't give me a time limit." He countered.

"Three weeks isn't enough time." Ann said to hold him off because she knew he was right. "How can you know after three weeks?"

"Annie, I knew before I agreed to this." Danny put his arms around her and she looked over his shoulder. He seemed to understand her concern that Sarah could come out at any minute and find them together. "She's talking to Hank and I seriously doubt she's going to be out here in five minutes. She's going to shave it as close to ten as she can."

She shook her head and he took her hand. "Then you're going to have to trust me."

__

Trust him?

He tugged gently on her hand. "Please come with me for a minute."

"Where?" She asked and already had a pretty good idea of where he wanted to go.

"My room." He answered softly and she pulled her hand out of his grasp. "You can trust me that all I want to do is kiss you."

"Danny." She admonished him again because she knew darn well it wasn't all he wanted.

He smiled at her. "Okay, it's not _all_ I want to do but I swear to you that it's all I _will_ do."

"Danny." She repeated because she couldn't think of a reason not to go with him.

"I promise that you can trust me." He pledged and took her hand again and led her to his room. When he opened the door all Ann saw was pitch black. "I can turn the light on if you want."

She shook her head and walked in. The weak light from the living room didn't show her much and she didn't have time to really look before she felt Danny behind her. The room suddenly went dark as she heard the door close and his hands were on her shoulders. Her heart began to beat double time. "I shouldn't be in here."

"If this feels wrong we'll stop right now and you can go back out to the living room." She felt his hands drop from her shoulders and sensed that he'd stepped away from her. "I would never make you stay in here if it felt wrong."

The dilemma for Ann was that it didn't feel wrong, it felt very right and that was what scared her. "I put your snow globe on my night table so I would see it when I woke up in the morning." She finally said.

"I was hoping that you would like it." Ann heard his voice as he came closer and as her eyes adjusted to the dark room she noticed the moonlight that spilled through the half opened Venetian blinds. It also made it easier for her to see him as he closed the distance and he put his arms around her.

"I liked it very much and wished I could have thanked you properly." She said as she rested her hands on his chest and felt his rapid heartbeat and firm muscle under her fingers.

"Now's your chance." She could vaguely see a smile and it made her smile back as she suddenly felt his lips on hers as he pulled her close to him. She moved her hands up his chest and wound them around his neck to pull him even closer as she responded.

In the back of her mind, she never lost the sense of time because what felt like hours was probably only minutes as Danny's strong hands roamed up and down her back. She threaded her fingers into his hair to learn the feel of it and that seemed to prompt his hands to slowly find their way under his sweatshirt that she wore and her blouse as well. It was a shock to feel his hands on her bare skin as they caressed her and she understood what it must have felt like for him. But she also remembered that when they'd reached that point, they knew it was time to stop.

He seemed to sense it too because he moved his hands on top of the sweatshirt as his body told her how much the feel of her affected him. "You need to go now Annie."

She kept her arms around his neck and nodded.

"The way you do that is to let me go." He sighed.

"I know."

He took her arms from around his neck and kept her close enough to give her a soft kiss. "You should probably go into the bathroom and put yourself back together and let me go to bed."

"I know." She repeated and for the first time wondered what it would feel like to fall asleep in his arms.

Danny walked to the door and opened it before he looked down the hall. He glanced at his watch before he closed the door again and took her hands in his. "It's been about five minutes and she's still on the phone."

__

Only five minutes? It felt like hours.

"I'll give you a chance to get in the bathroom and get back out to the living room before I go knock on the door."

"All right." She agreed.

"You _do_ understand how difficult it is for me to let you go, don't you?" He asked and his voice grew husky again.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Merry Christmas Annie." And he kissed her again.

"Merry Christmas Danny." She answered before she kissed him back. He walked her to his door, opened it and she looked down the hall. The McCawley's door was still closed. She stepped out and Danny nudged her toward the bathroom.

When she stepped inside, she turned on the light but didn't dare look at her reflection in the mirror because she didn't know what she would see. Instead, she tucked in her blouse and pulled Danny's sweatshirt back into place before she turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face. She picked up what she recognized as Sarah's hairbrush and ran it through her hair.

She finally glanced at her reflection and she still looked flushed. But there wasn't anything she could do about that so she turned off the light and walked back to Danny's door where he waited for her.

"You looked much prettier the other way." His smile was gentle and he put a hand to her cheek. "Go have a seat and I'll go get Sarah."

Ann walked back out to the living room and found the place where she'd sat when Danny first came home and took her seat. She heard a knock on his parent's bedroom door and heard his voice. "Sarah, you need to get off the phone now and get back to the Walker's."

"In a minute." She heard faintly and smiled.

"Sarah Jane, Ann told me that you promised Dad and Mrs. Walker that you'd be back in ten minutes and you're time is just about up. So tell Hank Merry Christmas and then tell him goodnight." He sounded like the big brother he was and she tried not to laugh.

She didn't hear anything for a moment and then heard the door open. "Scrooge."

"Fine, I'm Scrooge. But if you'd just told Dad and Mama about this you wouldn't have had to use Ann as an excuse to leave the Walker's. Besides, this is going to show up on their long distance bill and then what are you going to do?"

"Then I'll tell them." She frowned. "Hank says Merry Christmas to you and to Ann."

Ann stood up and walked over to Sarah, which brought her closer to Danny. "I'll thank him for that when he gets back. In the meantime, we need to get back to my house."

She took Ann's hand. "I'm sorry about the subterfuge. I just wanted to be able to talk to him without everyone knowing about it."

"I understand Sarah." Ann smiled at her and a quick glance at Danny told her that he did too.

"I'll let Dad and Mama know that you're home." Sarah told him before she hugged him. "Merry Christmas big brother."

"Merry Christmas to you too baby sister. I'll see you in the morning." He let her go. "Merry Christmas Ann." He said to her and headed to his room.

"He looks tired." Sarah commented as his bedroom door closed behind him and they walked to the front door. "He's in the air more every day and his training flights are getting longer."

As they stepped out on the porch Ann nodded. "Dad says Wheeler is ramping up the training for their new pilots though he doesn't know when they'll be put into combat rotation."

They turned out of the front yard onto the sidewalk and made their way back to the Walkers.


	20. Ann And Evelyn

At Evelyn's invitation, Ann met her at the beach two days after New Years.

She tried to turn her down because Ann knew it was the time of day when Danny and Hank took their run on the beach. But Evelyn wouldn't take no for an answer. "He's noticed that you haven't been here in a long time and I thought it would be a nice surprise for him." Evelyn explained as she laid out a blanket on the sand and sat down.

When Ann tried to object, she shook her head. "You don't have to talk to him and he may not even stop but I think it would do a world of good for the both of you to see each other."

"Why are you doing this?" She was curious as Evelyn took her arm and pulled her down next to her.

"I'm doing this because I think he's falling in love with you and doesn't even know it." She smiled. "And his spirits have been better in the last week than they have been since we started spending time together."

Ann knew why but she couldn't say. "Sarah told me that he's putting in a lot more flight hours."

Evelyn nodded. "That's usually the way it works before the Air Force starts putting the pilots into combat rotation."

"My dad told me that."

She touched Ann's arm. "I can't help but think about every woman who's ever lost her heart to a man in the service and never told him. Then when the unthinkable happens and he doesn't come home, she's got to live with that for the rest of her life."

Evelyn sounded cryptic again.

"It sounds as though you may have had some experience at that."

She shook her head. "Not me, my mother."

"What happened to her?" Ann asked and wasn't sure if she should.

"There was a boy she went around with in high school and he was killed at Pearl Harbor. On the surface of it there wasn't anything special about him and he joined the Navy after he graduated to help his family during the Depression. No one seemed to have any money in those days and one of the most secure jobs a guy could get was in the service. Anyway, they corresponded all through his basic training and after he got posted here. Mom said that she fell in love with him because of those letters but never told him. It wasn't until after he died that she found out in his last letter to her that he loved her too. It took her a long time to get over it and it wasn't until after she met Dad that she was able to put it in the past."

"Does your Dad know about him?"

"He does. He often says that he knew Mom was falling for him because she eventually stopped talking about her lost sailor. _She_ calls him her life preserver because he kept her from drowning in self-pity. That's why I made the decision a long time ago to never fall for a man in uniform, too much heartache."

Ann couldn't help but laugh. "And to reinforce that you work on a military base."

Evelyn smiled back. "That was their call, not mine. I worked for my firm as an intern all the way through Colorado College. They were really good to me when I graduated and it didn't seem right or particularly fair to tell them I wouldn't come here. That's why I spend only the hours I need to on base and don't fraternize with any of the military personnel."

She was confused. "But you fraternize with Danny."

Evelyn looked self-conscious. "How should I say this? I like Dan, I really do but he's a military pilot. He's a part of that culture I want to avoid and he's always understood that."

"And that's why things never got serious." She began to see light at the end of the tunnel.

"That and the fact that he was still with Caroline. Dan is a loyal guy, even with someone who didn't deserve it. As to why I fraternize with him? I'm comfortable with him because I know he doesn't expect anything from me."

Danny tried to tell her that and she wouldn't hear it. She saw a past that wasn't there and pushed him into a situation where she could have lost a chance with him if Evelyn wasn't the woman she was.

"Have I given you enough to chew on?" Her voice was gentle. "I've never met two people who were meant more for each other than you and Dan. And when I take myself out of the picture, because it's time I do you need to give him a real chance and not be afraid of it."

"Do you think that's the reason I wanted him to do this, because I'm afraid?"

Evelyn nodded. "But it's perfectly natural. You've know him for most of your life and from what he said you didn't see much of each other while he was away. When you went back to Colorado to see him graduate you expected to see the boy you grew up with and he wasn't there, he was this handsome pilot that you didn't recognize. Do I have that about right?"

She nodded.

"Do you mind if I say something else?"

Ann shook her head.

"I think _you're_ falling in love with _him_ and can't admit it."

The thought was too much. "I don't think so."

Evelyn laughed. "Dan said the same thing when I mentioned it to _him_ and I didn't believe him either."

"It's too soon." She reasoned.

"He told me not long ago that when he got home and saw how much you'd grown up everything that happened from that point was out of his hands. Would you say that it's been pretty much that way for you too?"

"Pretty much, but I still can't help think that he should find someone his own age."

"Ann, can you honestly tell me that when his arms are around you and he holds you close to his heart that you want him to be with someone his own age?" Evelyn asked her. "How did it feel when you knew that _we_ were spending time together? Did it make you feel any better that _I_ was his age?"

Her argument was effectively deflated because Ann knew the answer before she told Evelyn. "Deep down I never worried that anything would happen because he told me how he felt. But the time that he was with you, I wished that he were with me and it didn't matter that he was older."

"And that's how it should be when you care for someone."

Ann thought about that before she looked at Evelyn. "Can I tell you what makes me afraid about this?"

"Of course."

"Every time we've been together things go a little bit farther than they did previously. And the more we're together the more difficult it becomes." Ann sighed.

She frowned. "Are you saying that you don't trust him to stop if you ask him?"

Ann felt her cheeks flame hot and struggled to find the words to explain. "It's not that I don't trust him because I do, but it's more that I don't trust myself."

Evelyn looked as though she tried not to laugh. "And that's _why_ you trust him because you know that as far as you might want to go, he won't let it because he cares about you too much."

"How do you know when you're in love?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me because it hasn't happened yet. But _I_ think that if you listen to your heart and pay attention to how you feel when you're with him, you'll know."

"Good afternoon ladies." Ann looked up at the sound of Hank's familiar voice and next to him she saw the man that made her heart stop.

"You picked a very nice day to run Henry." Evelyn smiled as she stood up. "So why don't you cool off by walking me to my car."

He grinned at Ann and she felt her face warm. "Yes Ma'am."

"It was really nice talking to you Ann." Evelyn waved a hand as she led Hank up the beach and away from her and Danny.

The gentle tension that she'd felt from him on Christmas Eve was there. "Would you like to sit down? You look like you can stand a breather."

He hesitated and it surprised her. "I'm not exactly fit to sit next to."

"It never seemed to matter to you before." She couldn't help but laugh.

"That's because I was trying to shake you up." He smiled back and looked less tense.

"It worked." She told him and put her hand down on the spot next to her. "Please."

He looked pleased at her insistence and finally sat down. There was more distance between them than she wanted and knew that he wouldn't move over, so she did. His skin was damp from the exercise and warm from the exertion. It was a combination that made her light headed.

"What are you thinking Annie?" Danny asked her softly as he took her hand in his and she put her head down on his shoulder.

"I'm thinking how much I would like it if you would kiss me." She smiled.

"You mean out here in broad daylight?" He asked and Ann thought he sounded a little too sarcastic so she sat up and looked at him.

"You have a short memory Lieutenant. Those were _you_r choices, not mine." Ann reminded him.

"I like it when you call me Lieutenant." He smiled again. "No one says it quite as nicely as you do."

"I'm so proud of you and what you've accomplished." She added. "You set your mind to something and went after it."

"Which you should know something about by now, don't you think?"

"Yes, I should." She nodded and put her head back on his shoulder.

Danny leaned over and Ann thought he was going to kiss her. "Do you still wear my sweatshirt?" He asked her instead.

She smiled and quietly admitted. "I sleep in it if you must know."

"My sweatshirt is very lucky." He answered just as quietly and smiled at her. "Does this mean that you'll have dinner with me now?"

"After putting you through what I did the last few weeks, do you still want to?" She asked even though she was almost certain of the answer.

"Of course I do. I did what you asked because I wanted you to understand how much I care about you. My condition that you have dinner with me was so that everyone else would know it too."

"So you realize then that we're going to have to tell our parents about this." She sat up again and looked at him.

Danny raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Tell them what, that I've been ravishing their daughter? I don't think that would go over too well with your dad."

Ann laughed. "You know darn well that isn't what I meant. And I don't think it would go over too well with _your_ dad either if he knew his son was ravishing his best friend's daughter."

__

Two could play at that game.

He leaned over again and said softly. "But you didn't seem to mind, did you?"

__

Touché.

"No." She said.

"I didn't think so." He answered with a grin.

She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder and felt his head rest on hers. "How about I walk you home?"

"Would you mind if we stay here for a little while or do you have to get back?"

"I'm sorry Ann, but I can't stay. We're going back up in a couple of hours and I really need to get back to my quarters." She heard the regret in his voice as he sat up and as much as she wanted to sigh, didn't. This was something she would have to get used to if things got serious between Danny and her. And Ann had no doubt they already had.

"Have you heard if they're planning on putting you into combat rotation yet?" She didn't want to ask because she didn't really want to know, but she did want to be prepared.

"Not yet, but the way things have been accelerating I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't in the next couple of months." He answered her in a matter of fact way and squeezed her hand. "Ann, I'll tell you as much or as little as you want me to, at least what I _can _tell you. I don't know what's ahead and I sure don't know what to expect once I get up there but I promise you that I'll do my very best to come back."

"I know you will." She answered as she sat up. "It just never occurred to me that I would end up dating a pilot and one that will have to fly in combat."

His laugh was gentle. "You grew up on a military base and you never considered that you might end up with a guy in the service?"

"Don't be smart." She smiled. "Up until the time that you came home, I hadn't given any consideration to dating _anyone _seriously."

Danny looked at her. "What about that kid that was supposed to take you to the dance?"

"You really _do_ have a short memory, I went with _you_." She stated the obvious and knew it.

"And Hank says that _I'm_ a smart-ass." He said to know one in particular. "What about _him_?"

"It's too embarrassing." She confessed but with an exasperated look from Danny she continued. "The truth is he asked me to go with him so he could try to make another girl jealous. He was very up front about it so I didn't have any illusions. Apparently it worked though, because when he called to break our date he told me that she'd asked him earlier that day and would I mind?"

"So he missed out on seeing you in your mothers dress." He frowned.

She felt her face warm because she had a confession to make. "He wouldn't have seen me in it anyway. The truth of the matter is, I hadn't planned on wearing Mama's dress until Dad told me that you said you'd take me."

Ann smiled at his look of surprise. "You wore that dress for _me_?"

"Sarah told me that she was going to wear _your_ mother's dress when she went with Hank, but since the boy I was going with wasn't really a date I didn't want to wear _my_ mother's."

"We didn't actually have a date." He reminded her.

"I know, but I wanted to wear something that would make an impression on you."

"It did. And if you hadn't talked me into getting you to the dance I would have let you know then." He told her as he stood up and offered his hand to her, which she took and he pulled her to her feet. She helped Danny pick up the blanket and shake the sand out of it and fold it up.

When they finished he took it out of her grasp and took one of her hands in his and walked her up the beach toward her parents house. The closer they got though, the grip on her hand became lighter. "You can let go if you want to, I understand."

"After all of my talk." He frowned.

She stopped him with a tug on his hand. "If you had more time I wouldn't have brought it up. But it's inevitable that if my parents or yours saw us this way they'd want to know what was going on and how long it's been going on, you know that as well as I do."

"I don't want to hide _this_." He squeezed her hand. "I was serious when I told you when we got through this that I didn't care if the entire state of Hawaii knew how much I cared for you. And that includes our parents, our brothers and our sisters. I don't want to feel like I can only kiss you on a deserted beach or in my room so that my sister won't catch us. And if it still bothers you that I'm five years older there's nothing that I can do about that because I was _born_ five years before you were.

"For the last five years I had a girlfriend who wasn't much of a girlfriend and I didn't much care if I saw her or not. I wanted to get into the Academy in the worst way and once I got there I had to work really hard to stay there. Now, for the first time I _have_ a girl that I want to be with because I enjoy being with her and she makes me happier than I've ever been. She looks at me with such trust and has a touch so gentle that it keeps me awake at night wishing she were with me.

"I've gone farther with you than I _ever_ did with Caroline because I never thought about holding her as close to me as I've held you. And I've wondered more than once since I felt your hands on me how they would feel when we made love."

__

He actually said it.

Ann was absolutely stunned at his heartfelt soliloquy and his admission. Deep down she understood what he felt on those occasions they were together, when the both of them began to explore the feel of the other and become comfortable with it.

Danny seemed to think that he's shocked her with his frankness and let go of her hand. "I shouldn't have told you that. It's not something that you needed to know."

"Isn't this _exactly_ something that I should know? The man I've come to care for much more quickly than I ever thought possible tells me that he's wondered how it would feel to make love and he doesn't think it's something I need to know?"

"This _is_ moving too fast, isn't it?" He sighed.

"Don't throw my words back at me Danny. I said that because out of the clear blue on Thanksgiving you kissed me and I had no idea you'd been thinking about it. You seemed to forget that I tried to avoid you for almost a month after that because I needed time to think about what had happened. I kept some distance between us because all of the sudden, because of your kiss I had feelings for you that I never thought I would have."

"Is that why you asked me to do this?"

She nodded. "Evelyn helped me to see that."

"She's been talking to you a lot, hasn't she?"

"When I think about it now, she was letting me know how much she thought you cared about me and that she didn't care about you in that same way."

Danny laughed. "She called herself Cupid's Helper."

She sighed to herself in relief when she heard him laugh. It seemed as though they'd worked their way through a rough patch of conversation and come out all the stronger for it. "I really do like her."

"She really likes you to and didn't hesitate to tell me so." He answered. "She also understands why you asked me to do this."

"Do _you_?"

"Yes. I also knew that if I didn't you wouldn't give me a chance."

"I just needed to be sure."

Danny took her hand again and began to walk her to her parent's house. "I know you did and as my reward, we get to go out on a real date."

"Do you think we should talk to our parents before we do? Then it won't be such a surprise when you show up at our doorstep." Ann wondered.

He shrugged. "We can if you want but I was thinking about talking to your dad tomorrow anyway. Now that things between us are settled I'd like to tell him what my intentions are."

She smiled and felt her face warm. "I already know what your intentions are."

"But your _dad_ doesn't need to know that." He grinned. "Our families have always talked things out and I don't see why this should be any different."

As they approached her front yard she let go of his hand. "At least until you talk to Dad."

Danny smiled at her. "Fair enough. I'll take this with me and give it back to Evelyn tomorrow." He held up the blanket.

"She's probably wondering where it is." Ann told him as they stood at the fence.

"I'll talk to your dad tomorrow and then I'll make reservations for dinner. After I do that I'll call you and let you know when."

"All right."

There was a look in his eyes that Ann hadn't seen before. "I really don't want to leave you like this."

"I know, but until you talk it's best." She reasoned with him.

"You're going to keep me in line aren't you?"

She laughed softly. "I think we're going to keep each other in line."

"As long as we do it together that's all right by me." And he smiled at her before he tucked the blanket under his arm and began to jog up the street.

She stood at the fence and watched him as he jogged out of sight.

"Danny is quite the chivalrous young man." Ann was startled to see her mother there. "This isn't the first time you've encountered each other and he's walked you home."

"He was raised by his parents the way you and Dad raised us, to be ladies and gentlemen." Ann smiled at her.

Mama didn't look quite convinced. "That's true and I must admit that if he didn't walk you home, I'd be sorely disappointed in him."

"_His _parents would be too."

"Ann is everything all right, you look a little flushed." She frowned in concern.

"Everything is fine Mama." Ann tried to reassure her concerned parent.

She still didn't look convinced but didn't say anymore. "Is your homework finished?"

"Yes Ma'am. I finished it before I met Evelyn at the beach."

"Then would you do me a favor and set the table for dinner? Dad's going to be home soon."

"Sure Mama." She answered and followed her mother into the house.


	21. Danny And The Major Have A Talk

It shouldn't have unnerved him when he made the decision to talk to his godfather, but Danny McCawley _was_ unnerved.

Their relationship was a good one and Danny didn't see why that would change except for the small detail of the Major's daughter. But he also figured that if his Grandpa McCawley could see that things had changed between them, Major Walker more than likely would have too.

He didn't tell his father what he was going to do because that would mean he would have to explain what already transpired between he and Ann. And it was only fair that Ann's parents know what his intentions were before he told his dad.

As luck would have it, the briefing room wasn't being used and as Danny requested earlier that day his godfather met him outside. "You looked pretty serious this mornin' and it bein' the end of the day don't seem to have changed that much." He commented. "What could have you so serious?"

"Ann." He said without explanation.

"My _daughter_ Ann." Major Walker confirmed.

"Yes Sir, your daughter Ann."

The Major opened the door and waited for Danny to precede him into the room before he closed it behind them. "Do I need to ask you if you've done anythin' with her that you shouldn't have?"

"No Major, you don't." And he wondered what his godfather would think about the fact that he had his hands on Ann's bare skin. But he seemed satisfied with Danny's answer and he nodded before he sat down.

"How long has this been goin' on? Since the dance last month?"

Danny sat across from him and was as straightforward as possible. "Since Thanksgiving, but probably earlier. We're still trying to figure that out."

He frowned and Danny was concerned because it sounded to his own ears like he was trying to hide something. "So if that's true why are you runnin' around with that other girl?"

"I was just as surprised to see Evelyn here as Ann was and I tried to explain to her that we were never anything more than friends. She isn't interested in marrying into the service and she let me know that when we were in Colorado. Besides, I was still going with Caroline and it wasn't right that I gave any thought to another girl."

The Major smiled. "You may look like your daddy, but you've got your mama's good sense."

"Thank you Sir." Danny answered and wasn't exactly sure what he meant.

He turned serious again. "So how exactly _do _you feel about her?"

__

That was easy. "I care about her very much."

He shook his head in what Danny could only guess was disbelief. "Her Mama was right."

"Sir?"

"I thought at the time it was because of Barbara's weddin'. Sandra had just had Thomas and was tryin' to help Evelyn with all the details. I thought she'd worn herself to a frazzle because of a dream she had about Annie and you."

"With all due respect Sir, what are you talking about?" Would that explain the look he got from Mrs. Walker the first time he walked Ann home from the beach?

"The plain fact is Annie's mama and I had dreams about you when she was just a little thing. My Sandra don't believe in dreams and she _still_ don't, but I always thought it was odd that it would happen to the _both_ of us." The Major explained.

Danny was more than a little confused. "So this isn't really a surprise?"

His godfather _did_ look surprised. "Now I didn't say that. All I _did_ say was that Annie's mama and I dreamed about the two of you when you were still young but that don't mean that we thought it would actually happen. I guess the next logical question would be is what are your intentions as far as my daughter goes?"

"I want the chance to get to know her and I want _her_ to get the chance to know _me." _He said simply.

Major Walker frowned. "I don't need to ask you how well that might be, do I?"

"Not in the way you appear to be thinking Sir." Danny told him.

"You know why I'm askin', don't you?" His frown seemed to get deeper.

Danny knew he meant the different paths _his_ parents and Ann's took in their respective courtship's. He didn't want what happened to Major and Mrs. McCawley to happen to his own daughter, no matter how strongly they might feel about the other. "Yes Sir I can. And I give you my word that I'll never let anything happen that shouldn't."

"Don't misunderstand me now. I know how much your folks love each other and they haven't regretted a day that they've been married. And maybe Annie's mama and I were more cautious then we needed to be, but we had good reason." He seemed to feel the need to explain.

"Well seeing as how _I _was the reason they got married, I do understand your concern."

"All right then. Have you talked to your daddy about this?"

Danny shook his head. "No Sir. I thought that I should talk to you first because it didn't seem right that Dad would know about this before you."

His honesty made the Major smile. "Thank you son, I appreciate that very much. If you would give me some time to talk to Sandra about this and let me talk to Ann as well, you can mention it to your daddy."

"I think that's fair."

"That's very decent of you." He smiled. "Do you have somethin' in mind?"

"Yes Sir. I've already told her that I want to take her to the Royal Hawaiian for dinner." He said and wasn't sure what the Major would think of his choice.

"That hotel has significance to both of our families."

"Yes Sir, I know that and it's why I want to take her there. It seems like the right place to start."

His godfather smiled at him and stood up. "That it is. Sandra and I started our marriage there and it's where your mama got a proper proposal. It's a fittin' place for you and Annie to start too."

"I appreciate that Sir." Danny stood up next to his godfather and followed him as he walked to the door.

"Does she know anythin' about your combat status?" The Major asked him.

"She knows pretty much what _I_ know and I've promised to tell her what I can or not tell her anything, if that's what she wants."

"Just spend as much time with her as you can, especially after you get into the rotation. She puts on a brave face like her mama, but she'll worry somethin' fierce." And he grinned. "Just don't tell her I told you that."

"I won't."

"I also want you to remember somethin'; she's only seventeen. I know she grew up a lot while you were away and it took you by surprise but _your_ growin' up surprised her just as much. You've already told me that nothin' would happen that shouldn't and I believe you. But I also remember what it felt like to be a young man in love and how difficult it got for us sometimes. If this thing with you and Ann gets serious and you find yourself fallin' for her just think about where certain consequences could lead you. When we were young and livin' here we didn't have our folks around as you know, but you and my daughter do and I don't think your daddy or your mama would cotton too much to you and Ann endin' up in the situation _they _did. Am I makin' myself clear?"

__

Major Walker didn't mince words. He was telling Danny in no uncertain terms that he expected his godson not to let what he felt for his daughter to cloud his judgment. He felt the weight of responsibility that was imparted to him and promised himself not to disappoint Ann's father. "You've made yourself very clear Sir."

"Danny, times are different now and I understand that. Things ain't the way they were when your daddy and I were your age. But Ann is my first born child and I always thought of her as a reward for Sandra and I havin' decided to wait to be together until after we got married. The fact of the matter is Sandra and I wouldn't be too happy either if the two of you had to push things up faster than you wanted because you didn't think a situation through."

"Dad's never made any excuses about what happened with him and Mama before I was born. And I understand how different it is with Ann and me because we're all here together. I give you my word that nothing will happen that shouldn't." He tried to assure the older man. "Ann means a lot to me and I know how much _you_ love _her. _Besides, if anything did happen Hank would make me wish it hadn't."

That made his godfather smile. "Ann ain't too sure how she feels about havin' someone _else_ actin' like an older brother. She used to chaff when _you_ would do it and I don't think she appreciates _him_ doin' it either."

"He's a good guy Major." Danny told him. "She really made an impression on him when you came back for graduation and for some reason he decided she needed someone to look after her."

"Would you know what that reason is?" He seemed curious.

"I don't have a clue." He admitted.

The Major sighed. "Well it seems that I have two young men lookin' after my daughter for two very different reasons and I can't think of two _finer_ young men that I would trust her with. You've given me your word and I accept it, so if it's my blessin' you're lookin' for you have it."

"I appreciate that very much Sir." And he put his hand out which his godfather grasped firmly in his own and shook.

"I need to be gettin' home now. I told Sandra I'd be a little late because I needed to talk to one of the new pilots. I didn't tell her it was you because I didn't know exactly what it was that you wanted to talk to me about. But when we get through with supper tonight I'll tell her about this." He shook his head. "She just ain't goin' to believe this."

"Would it be all right if I call Ann and set a date for dinner?"

"If you could wait until later this evenin', that would be fine." He requested.

"I can wait."

"Thank you son." He opened the door before he looked back at Danny. "Sandra just ain't goin' to believe this." And he was gone.

Danny sat down on the edge of the desk. His heart was racing and he started to tremble. All at once it was easier than he expected and hard as all hell to talk to him because the Major made it very clear that things were not to get out of hand and Danny understood why.

He also thought he understood what his godfather meant when he said Danny looked like his father but had Mama's good sense. In his bachelor days Dad was impulsive and oftentimes didn't think things through before he did them, he just acted.

Mama was just the opposite and Danny had always been more like _her_ in that he always thought things through. His failing was that he thought things through so much that sometimes he was slow to act. Caroline was the perfect example of that.

"So how did it go?" Danny heard the voice of his friend and looked toward the door. Hank looked little anxious as he stepped into the room and closed the door. "Did the Major let you have it?"

He grinned. "The Major did _not_ let me have it. In fact, what he _did_ tell me was that when Ann was little he and Mrs. Walker both had dreams about her and me."

"What kind of dreams?"

Danny shook his head. "He didn't say, but my feeling is we weren't kids in those dreams."

"So it shouldn't have been a surprise then." Hank said logically.

"It sure as hell _was_ a surprise. He said they each had a dream but I think it was only that one time. And it probably wasn't something either of them thought about until the first time that I walked her home from the beach."

"So now that you've talked to her dad where is the big date going to be?" He grinned.

"The Royal Hawaiian." Danny answered and felt his neck warm.

Hank raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that something that you work up to Dan? Sarah told me about the history of that place for your families and it seems to me that the Black Cat Cafe is the place to start."

"The Black Cat? I don't even know if that place is still open."

"Are you kidding? Being so close to the base, of course it's open. And who ever runs it has it looking the same way it did when your parents hung out there."

"Why?"

"Who the hell knows? It could be that there are still people around here who remember it and go there for nostalgic reasons."

"How would _you_ know about that cafe?" Danny was suddenly curious because the Black Cat Cafe wasn't a well-known spot except for those who had been on Oahu for a few years. Sarah must have told him about it.

"Sarah took me there for lunch not long after I got here and she told me that Ann's father proposed to her mother there." He laughed. "What a place to propose to your girlfriend."

"But he _did_ give her a week at the Royal Hawaiian for their honeymoon so I think it evened out."

"It must have because they're still happily married from what I can see." Hank added. "So what's on your itinerary tonight?"

"I hadn't given it much thought. I have to wait before I can call Ann because the Major wants to talk to Ann's mother and to her before _I_ talk to her. We're not scheduled to fly so I might just go back to my quarters."

"Your quarters? Are you kidding?"

"I'm _not_ kidding. I don't get a lot of time to myself because if I'm not flying I'm usually with my family. But since they don't know anything about this yet it's going to be too hard to be with them and not be able to say anything."

"I read you." He relented.

"I thought you would." He grinned back. "Besides, what are you so concerned about? You should be out with my sister having a good time somewhere."

Hank sighed. "Your sister isn't talking to me at the moment. She knows there's something going on with you and Ann and she knows that you've been talking to me about it. She also knows that I would never tell her anything if it wasn't all right with you and that's why she's mad."

"I'm sorry Hank. I thought for sure Ann would have talked to her about this."

He shook his head. "She doesn't strike me as the kind of girl that would talk about something like this, not even to Sarah. Of course it doesn't help matters that Evelyn knows more about this than _she_ does."

"And Ann was spending some time talking with her." Danny agreed. "This got a lot more complicated than it needed to didn't it?"

"Not complicated Dan. Ever since we got here she's been pushing the idea of you and Ann and I think that because she knows deep down that things have changed between the two of you, she feels left out. That's another reason why she's mad."

"Then I think it's time that I talk to her." He said as he reached for the telephone and picked up the receiver. He dialed his parent's house and Joe was on the other end of the line. "Hey Joe it's me, is Sarah around?"

"She's finishing up some homework I think. I'll get her for you." His younger brother answered and Danny heard the receiver as Joe put it down on the table.

"Is she home?" Hank asked as Danny waited.

"She's home and in the middle of homework." He answered and wondered what was taking Sarah so long. She was probably mad at _him_ too.

"Hi." He heard his sister's voice. "What's the big event? You never call me."

"Has Mama started dinner yet?"

"Not yet, why? Do you want her to set a place for you?" He heard the amusement in her voice.

"No I don't want her to set a place for me." She could be a real smart aleck and he smiled. "If you have some time, would you meet me over at my quarters? There are some things that have been happening that I'd like you to know about."

"I think that'll be all right. I'll just tell Mama and I'll be over in a few minutes."

"There's no hurry. I'm not home yet and it'll take me a few minutes to get to my car. Give me ten minutes and I'll meet you there." He requested.

"Ten minutes, I'll see you then." She confirmed and she hung up.

He put the receiver down. "She's going to meet me and I'll talk to her."

"I heard that. Did she sound mad?"

Danny shook his head. "She didn't sound mad but she did sound a little tired. Mid-terms must be getting to her."

"Well, let's get out of here then so you can get home."

"Thanks." And he stood up and followed Hank to the door. "I'll put in a good word for you if you want."

"You don't need to do that Dan. If we can't figure out a way to get through something small like this, we won't be able to work through the big stuff." He said as they made their way down the hall.

"That's a smart way of looking at it. So other than the fact that she's not talking to you right now, how are things going?" Danny didn't have the right to ask, but he was curious nonetheless.

"Things are going great. She's been taking me to all the places that you hung out when you were kids and telling me the stories about your family and the Walker's. It's kind of funny when she talks about all of you because it's as though you're one family instead of two. I've never seen anything like it."

He'd never really thought about it. "I guess to someone who didn't grow up around us would think it a little odd, but I guess in some ways we always have been one family because Dad and Major Walker grew up in the same house together."

"It's a good thing he had your dad and his parents from what Sarah tells me." Hank commented as he opened the outside door and the two pilots walked to the parking lot.

"A very good thing." He agreed.

"There's one thing that I don't quite get."

Danny pulled his car keys out of his flight jacket as he and Hank approached his car. "What's that?"

"If you were named for Ann's dad, why wasn't Tom named for _your_ dad?"

"They wanted to, but Dad asked them _not_ to. He got teased in school because of his name and might have felt that Ann's brother might go through the same thing. My understanding about that was that the Major didn't really want his son named after _his_ father so they named him after Gramps and his middle name is his _mother's_ father." He explained as he unlocked the passenger door before he walked around to the driver's side.

"I met the O'Connell's when I came back from Thanksgiving leave. They seem like really nice people." He said as he opened the door and got in. "Ann doesn't really favor them though."

Danny sat down next to him and put his key in the ignition. "Grams says she favors Major Walker's mother. I've never seen a picture of her though."

"She must have been a pretty lady." He said as they drove out of the lot and headed toward the Bachelor Officer's Quarters.

"I'm sure she was." Danny answered him as they drove toward home.

When he parked his car in front of their quarters a few minutes later Hank got out. "She may not like seeing me right now so I'm going to get out of here. I'll talk to you later."

Danny got out of the car and called to his friend. "Hank, you have to talk to her sometime."

"But you need to talk to her first." Hank called back as he opened his front door and walked inside.

Danny couldn't remember when he'd met someone as stubborn as his former roommate, but he also knew that to try and talk anymore would be useless. He closed his car door before he walked to his own quarters and unlocked the front door. His first impulse was to call Ann to tell her that he'd talked to her father but he'd told the Major he would wait.

As he walked inside and dropped the keys on the side table he thought about what Hank said about building up to a place like the Royal Hawaiian. _That_ was a place you took your girlfriend to propose to her or your bride for your honeymoon. Would she mind a place like the Black Cat or would she be disappointed that he had changed his mind? He knew that there was only one way to find out and he was going to have to wait.

"Danny?" He turned around and saw his sister in the doorway. "I can't stay too long because Mama wants me to help with dinner."

"Come on in." He motioned to her with a smile. "Would you like a coke or something? You look a little out of breath."

"No thanks, it's too close to dinner. You're welcome to come back with me you know, Dad and Mama would love to have you." She smiled back at him.

"I know they would but Mama says that I have to learn to cook if I'm going to live on my own. And I'm most definitely alone at the moment."

She sat down on the military issue sofa that was so much like the one at his parent's house. "But it won't be forever."

He dove in. "Not if everything works out with Ann, it won't." And he waited for his sister's reaction.

It didn't take her more than a moment and she jumped up from his lumpy sofa and threw her arms around her neck. "It's about time you big dope. I didn't know what else I was going to have to do to get the two of you alone."

Danny laughed and hugged her back.

Just as quickly though she punched his arm. "And Hank knew about this before I did you jerk! How is that?"

He frowned as he rubbed his sore arm. What was it about Ann and Sarah that they punched him when they were annoyed? "Because he would have put me in a headlock until I told him what was going on. I didn't mean to keep this a secret from you, I just assumed that Ann talked to you about this."

"Annie can be a real clam when she wants to be and you should know that." And she sighed. "I can see where she didn't want to though, because I am your sister after all."

"Lucky for you." He grinned at her.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "That depends on your point of view."

"I love you too Sarah." He hugged her and felt her arms around him. "Please don't be too mad at Hank. I never asked him to keep this from you but you should know him well enough by now to know that he would never repeat anything we talk about unless I let him know that it's all right."

"I know that and you're right. I just feel like I'm being left out." She admitted.

"Sarah, you haven't been left out. I just talked to Major Walker today and Dad and Mama still don't know what's going on. Give Ann the chance to talk to you."

"She's been talking to Evelyn." And Danny tried not to smile because his usually mature sister sounded petulant.

"But she hasn't known Evelyn for most of her life has she?" He reasoned with her. "You've always been like a big sister to her and she could probably stand a good talk with you about all of this. The truth is I don't know who's more surprised by this, her or me."

"I did what _I_ could." She smiled.

"Don't give yourself so much credit." He grinned. "If it wasn't meant to be for us, no amount of prodding from you would have made any difference."

"I don't know about that. You know how stubborn I can be."

"And you don't know how stubborn _Ann_ can be." Danny countered.

"Yes I do. But if things with you and Ann have changed, how does Evelyn fit into this?"

"She doesn't anymore." He told her. "Ann misunderstood my friendship with her as something more than what it was. She thought I had passed on a relationship with Evelyn because of Caroline and no matter how much I told her that Evelyn didn't mean anything to me she wanted me to spend time with her. So we did and what ever it was that Evelyn talked to her about she was able to get Ann to see that there wasn't anything for her to worry about."

"So you're going to go on a date now?" She smiled.

"As soon as Major Walker talks to Mrs. Walker and to Ann, that's my plan."

"What do you have in mind?"

He honestly wasn't sure anymore. "I haven't decided yet."

"Well, whatever you decide to do I know she'll like it." She reassured him.

"I hope so."

Sarah was serious. "You really care about her, don't you? I mean, this isn't a passing thing?"

"I've never felt this way about any other girl and I don't know exactly what that means. I just want to take the time to get to know her as more than the daughter of a family friend."

"And you told the Major this?"

"I told him that and he told me that he didn't want us to end up in the same situation that Dad and Mama did when she found out she was going to have _me_."

"Can you blame him?" She asked.

"Of course not because I don't want that to happen either. I _know_ how disappointed they would be if it happened again." He frowned. "She's so young and she trusts me and if I let something happen that shouldn't happen it would break the trust that the _Major _has in me. And that trust means a lot."

"She's a lucky girl Danny." She hugged him again before she let him go and walked to the front door. "And you're a lucky guy."

"Don't I know it."

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with me? You know there'll be plenty to eat."

"Thanks Sarah but I'm going to stay here. I don't get a lot of time to myself these days and I'd like to take the chance while I can." He said as he followed her to the door.

"Fair enough."

He opened the door and stepped out on the porch with her. The sun was beginning to go down and Danny wondered if he shouldn't drive her home.

"It's not that far, so don't worry. It doesn't take me long to get home."

"Okay."

"I'll see you later." And she headed toward the sidewalk.

"Tell everyone hello for me." He said as he raised a hand in farewell.

"I will." And she turned up the street and walked away. He watched her until she disappeared and looked at his watch. It should only take her five minutes to get back to his parent's house.

"So was she really mad?" Hank asked from his porch next door.

"She's not mad Hank, she just felt left out." Danny explained. "If you want to come over and subject yourself to my lack of culinary talents, I'll fill you in."

"Give me a beer and you've got yourself a deal." He grinned as he walked across the short yard and stepped up on Danny's porch.

"You know where they are, so come on in." He grinned back and waited for his friend to walk in the house before he closed the door.


	22. The Major And His Daughter Have A Talk

"It's a beautiful evenin' Annie, would you mind if I joined you?"

Ann looked up from the porch swing where she had been trying to read but couldn't concentrate long enough to comprehend a sentence. Her father had a smile on his face but she could see that there was something on his mind.

"Of course not Dad, have a seat." She smiled and moved over to make room for him.

He walked over to her and sat down before he put an arm around her shoulders. "I had an interestin' conversation with Danny McCawley this afternoon and I thought we could talk about it."

"What did he have to say?" She asked, wondering what it was that Danny said to him.

"It seems that he's taken quite an interest in you. Can I assume that you've taken as much of an interest in him?" He asked her.

"Yes you can." She answered him honestly. "Does that bother you?"

"Heck no honey, it doesn't bother me but it sure does surprise me. He's been teasin' you somethin' fierce since he got home and from what I could see you didn't appreciate it very much." Her father observed. "When did all of that change?"

She smiled. "As far as his teasing me, I didn't like it when we were kids and I certainly didn't like it after he came home. But the thing I couldn't get past was the fact that the boy who used to tease me wasn't a boy anymore. He grew into this young man I didn't recognize and it wasn't the same."

"It never occurred to you that he would look different after four years?" He questioned her gently.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It really didn't because I never thought about Danny while he was away. Sarah talked about him all the time though and I would hear his parent's talking to you and to Mama about how he was doing with his classes and his flying. He didn't get to come home much and when he did, we usually weren't here. So when I might have had the chance to get used to the changes during all of that time just hit me when we went back to Colorado."

"So do you think whatever this is between you and him could get serious?"

Ann felt her face warm. "I think it already has."

He looked into her eyes. "He's promised me that nothin' has happened that shouldn't have. Is he tellin' me the truth?"

"He's kissed me, if that's what you're asking but nothing else." She looked him in the eye. "He's an honorable man Dad and you can trust him."

He sighed. "You know why I'm askin' don't you?"

"Yes Sir I do. You don't want what happened with Danny's parents to happen to us."

"That's right and one of the things that we talked about today was how different it was when his daddy and I were Danny's age. We were here without our folks and things happened that ordinarily might not have. But it's different now because we're all here together and I know that Rafe and Evelyn would be just as upset as _their_ folks were if you and Danny found yourselves in that situation. Am I makin' myself clear?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good. He asked if he could call here so you should expect a telephone call from him later. He also said that he plans on takin' you to the Royal Hawaiian for supper." He smiled at her.

"That's what he wanted to do. He also said that he wanted to talk to you before he asked because he didn't want to have to hide anything."

Her father laughed and Ann wasn't sure what was so funny. "He's a smart boy. When I was courtin' your mama we didn't really tell anyone about it. It was the worst kept secret of the war I think because even though we never said anythin', everyone knew that we were seein' each other. I'm glad you ain't goin' to do that because it's somethin' that Mama regrets sometimes, that we didn't share our happiness at bein' together with everyone else."

"Is it true that you almost eloped?"

He looked surprised. "Where did you hear about that?"

__

Maybe she wasn't supposed to know. "It was a long time ago and I overheard Mama and Mrs. McCawley talking one afternoon. Mama said that there were times toward the end of your engagement that she was tired of waiting and wanted to forget the church wedding and the reception because she just wanted to be married to you."

"I think the year we were engaged was harder than waitin' through the war. I made it through alive with my body parts intact and the first thing I wanted to do was marry your mama. We could have eloped I suppose, but the McCawley's didn't get to see Rafe get married and your mama knew how disappointed her folks would be if _we_ didn't have a weddin', so we waited."

"Was it worth it?" She asked even though she knew the answer.

"I thought so. The minute I saw your mama walkin' up the aisle on her daddy's arm, I knew all the waitin' had been worth it. And then havin' her all to myself for a week after that made it even better."

"What was _that_ like?" Ann was genuinely curious as was embarrassed when Dad's face flushed and she felt her own face as it warmed again. "I didn't mean _that!_"

"I know that Annie but I must admit that it was the first thing I thought of." He laughed.

"Dad!"

"That's exactly it honey. I'm your father and it doesn't occur to you that I was your mama's _husband_ first. I understand better that you might know how it feels to care so much for someone and not be able to show them the way you would really want to. But if the person you care for is that special, the time will come when you can show each other how much. Do you understand what it is I'm tryin' to say?"

"I understand."

"I knew you would." He took his arm from around her shoulders before he stood up. "Your mama may want to talk to you about this because I think it took her a little by surprise."

"I don't think it's _too_ much of a surprise." Ann didn't like to contradict him. "I think Mama knew that something was going on the night of the dance, I just couldn't tell her what it was at the time."

"You're probably right, your mama can read all of us like a stack of books." He grinned. "Have you finished your homework?"

"Yes Sir, before dinner."

"Then why don't you head on down to the beach before it gets dark. It's a beautiful evenin' and it seems a shame to waste it."

"Thanks Dad."

"Or better yet she can sit out here on the porch with me so we can _both_ enjoy it." Ann's mother commented as she stood in the doorway.

She hadn't heard the screen door.

"Or you can sit out here with your mama." Dad grinned as he stood up and walked over to her mother. He kissed her cheek and she smiled at him. "You're still the prettiest girl on Oahu." And he went inside.

"Your father certainly has a way with words." She was surprised to see Mama's face flush as she sat down and took Ann's hand in hers. "Dad tells me that Danny McCawley had a talk with him today about you."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Was it Danny that you couldn't tell me about at the dance?" She asked.

"I didn't know how." Ann admitted with a nod. "Everything happened so fast and then Evelyn seemed to show up out of nowhere."

"Were you worried about that?"

"_You_ saw her Mama, she was so pretty. " She sighed. "I can see why Danny might have fallen for her if he'd been in the position to and when I saw her that night I knew that I didn't stand a chance. But it turns out that she is really nice and has _been_ nice to me too. I didn't expect that."

"Looks can be deceiving sometimes and it doesn't help when we look at a situation with our hearts." Mama reasoned. "I liked her from the moment Danny brought her here on Christmas Eve because even though she came with him I could see that she liked you as well. It never hurts to have too many friends Ann."

"I know." She agreed.

"So do you mind if I ask you how you feel about Danny?" Her mother asked. "He seems to be quite taken with you."

"How could you know?" Ann was surprised at her mother's comment.

"I have eyes honey." Mama smiled and squeezed her hand. "When he walked you home from the beach I didn't give it much thought because I could see that there wasn't anything to it. But when we were at Rafe and Ev's for Thanksgiving I could see that something had changed. He didn't seem very happy that day and no matter where you were he seemed to have his eye on you. That struck me as quite interesting and I couldn't help but wonder what transpired to make him so attentive."

"Why didn't you ask?" She wondered.

"Because I knew that you weren't ready to talk about it. But since Danny already talked to Dad and _he_ talked to _me_, I thought it would be all right if I mentioned it to you." Her mother explained. "You're a young woman now and there are things that you're going to have to start figuring out for yourself, but that doesn't mean that I won't always be here to listen."

"Dad had quite a talk with him." Ann said. "He had quite a talk with me too."

Mama nodded. "I know. He thinks a lot of Danny and knows what a decent young man he is. But it doesn't change the fact that you are our first born and because of that Dad is going to worry a little more about you."

"And you don't?" She asked with a smile.

"A girl's relationship with her father is different than the relationship with her mother. I don't worry so much about you because I remember what it feels like to be a seventeen-year-old girl and because you tell me things that you can't tell your father."

"Is that terrible?"

Her mother shook her head. "Of course not. When you were little you told the both of us everything. But when boys and girls start to grow up it's only natural that boys want to talk to their fathers more and girls want to talk to their mothers. Shelby is starting to get to that age where she doesn't talk to your dad so much and it bothers him but he understands that it isn't because she loves him any less. I must admit though, that when Tom gets to the age that he stops talking to me the way he does now it's going to bother me as well. But that's the way it's supposed to be when you've raised your children right."

"Do you want to know what the hardest thing about all of this is?"

"What's that?"

"For the first time I've realized that I won't always live with you and Dad or Shelby and Tom. And it scares me that after this year I'll be going to college and going out on my own." Ann sighed.

"That's a part of growing up Ann. But just because you won't always live here with us doesn't mean that you won't be part of our family. The wonderful thing about growing up and getting out on your own is finding out what you can do and how much you can handle. When I was your age I was still in Ohio with my parents and never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would end up here, married to someone as wonderful as your dad and have you three. But the Navy needed nurses and they were offering scholarships to college for girls who took nursing as their major. It was the best decision I ever made."

"Was it hard to leave home?"

"It was very hard but _times_ were hard and I needed to do what I could to help out. And if that meant that your grandparents didn't have to worry about paying for my education then that's what I needed to do." She answered.

"I can't imagine ever having to leave here."

"I know honey, but I could never imagine leaving Ohio either and I did. Life had other plans for me than being a Mid-Western girl and life might just have other plans for you than being an island girl. Then when you reach your destination you'll wonder how it is that you could have lived anywhere else. Especially if that destination includes a certain Air Force pilot." She said with a smile.

"Do _you_ think my destination includes a certain pilot?" Ann asked.

"I wouldn't begin to say Ann. But you might be interested to know that Dad had a dream about you and Danny when you were just a little girl and in that dream we watched the two of you get married."

She smiled at her mother even as she felt her face burn. "I thought you didn't believe in dreams."

Mama smiled back at her. "I don't and Dad doesn't either, but he thought it was very interesting at the time. We just figured that it was because of a dream that _I_ had."

"Was it about Danny and me?" Ann wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

She nodded. "It was and it was quite disconcerting when it came true."

Ann could feel her heartbeat begin to quicken. "Would that dream have anything to do with Danny walking me home that afternoon?"

"That's exactly what it would be. But the nicest part of that dream was that I got to see what you were going to look like when you got older." Her mother explained. "And you turned out exactly as I dreamt you would."

"Did Danny?" She was curious.

Mama seemed to think about it before she nodded. "He did, now that I think about it. He's got a startling resemblance to Rafe but he's got Ev's down to earth approach to things. It's a combination that the girls on this base seemed to have taken notice of."

"I know."

"Then you should also know that it shouldn't worry you. Danny wouldn't have begun a serious pursuit of you if any of those girls interested him."

"I know that too. The fact is, he _has_ noticed the looks he's been getting but he knows that it's his uniform the girls are really noticing." Ann told her.

She smiled. "It sounds to me as though the two of you have already done quite a bit of talking. It's a good habit to get into with someone you care for because there is less chance of a misunderstanding going awry."

"Did that ever happen with you and Dad?"

Her mother nodded. "Early on in our relationship we had misunderstanding about Evelyn. We hadn't been seeing each other for very long and I don't know that either one of us knew at that time where we were headed. I was very insecure about the whole thing because Ev was so pretty and it didn't make sense to me at that time how he could prefer me."

"What was the misunderstanding?" Ann had never heard the story before and felt privileged that her mother would tell her something so personal.

"Rafe had been shot down in a fight over the English Channel and we all thought that he was dead. The McCawley's called Dad to tell him and he had to tell Ev. She was devastated by the news and he spent a lot of time with her because it seemed to help ease her grief."

She didn't know how to ask, so she just did. "Were you jealous?"

Mama's face flushed. "I was _very_ jealous and felt terrible because of it. I knew your dad well enough by then to know that he wasn't interested in Evelyn but it didn't stop me from worrying about the time they were spending together. But then Dad showed up late one night after the girls had spotted him with Evelyn at the Black Cat. I think Barbara was trying to be helpful in her own way in telling me that she saw them together even though Ev kept telling me that there wasn't anything to it."

"It sounds a little familiar." Ann smiled.

Her mother smiled back at her before she laughed. "I guess there is something a little familiar about it at that. And it _did_ end well for Dad and me."

"Do you love him the same way you did when you first got married?"

She shook her head. "When you've lived with someone for as long as we have and have had children together that love changes, it has to. When we were newlyweds there was a period of adjustment as there is in every marriage. We needed to learn each others likes and dislikes in a way we couldn't before because we weren't living together. Then when you kids started to come along, we needed to learn how to balance being a husband and wife to each other with our responsibility as your parents. It's always been important to us that we never forget that young couple we were when we first got married and to take care of the different parts of our lives in such a way so that no one suffers. The truth of it is honey is that I love your dad more now than the day we got married."

"It shows. And I think that Dad probably feels the same way about you." She commented.

"He does." Was all she would say before she stood up and offered her hand to Ann.

"You haven't held my hand since I was little and you walked me into my kindergarten class."

"Let's just say that I want to hold my little girl's hand one more time. You're growing up so fast now and before you know it, you'll be out of the nest."

Ann stood up and took her mother's hand.

"Why don't we take that walk down to the beach your dad suggested? It's a beautiful evening for it." she asked.

"I'd like that Mama." She smiled. "We haven't taken a walk to the beach in a long time."

"Off we go then." Her mother smiled back at her and hand in hand they stepped off the porch and took a walk to the beach.


	23. The McCawley's Get A Surprise

Danny couldn't tell who was more surprised, his father or his mother.

He waited until Sarah and Joe left the house after Sunday breakfast to tell his parents about the situation with Ann. He knew Mama was aware that he was keeping something from them because she kept looking at him all through the meal. That got Dad to look at _her _with a look on his face that seemed to be curious about her attentiveness to their oldest child.

He helped them clean up the dishes and that drew an amused comment from his father. "Evelyn I think the boy has a fever; he's helpin' with the dishes."

She smiled at her husband. "You know better than that Rafe. Danny has never hesitated to help when I've asked."

"That's just it honey, you _didn't_ ask." He grinned and Danny wondered how much he would be smiling when he gave Dad the news. "He volunteered."

She looked a little surprised and smiled back at him. "Yes, I suppose he did."

Danny smiled at the playfulness of his parent's conversation and couldn't remember a time when they couldn't find the humor in a situation. Mama told him once that if it weren't for his father she would be much too serious. He understood what she meant because he was finding out that if it weren't for Ann, _he_ would be much too serious.

"So why have you volunteered to help us with the dishes when it should have been Sarah and Joe?" His mother asked him.

He dried the last dish, put it away in the cupboard and hung the dishtowel up to dry before he faced his parents. "I wanted to talk to you about something without a crowd around."

"Did you get your orders?" Dad asked and the grin he sported only moments before was gone.

"No it's not that. We have those two training missions that we're being sent on and I suspect that after we get through those _then_ we'll probably be activated." He shook his head and reassured his worried father. "This actually doesn't have anything to do with flying or the Air Force, it's personal."

"Well don't keep us in suspense then, what is it?" Mama asked as she sat down at the kitchen table.

He leaned against the counter and folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "I don't know if you're going to like what I have to tell you."

"Well, we'll never know if you don't tell us so just spit it out." Dad let out an exasperated sigh of his own.

_How did he begin?_ "After I broke up with Caroline it wasn't my intention to get involved with anyone. I'm going to be put into the combat rotation soon and it didn't seem fair to start a new relationship."

"But obviously someone's changed that." His mother guessed. "Is it Evelyn?"

_He should have seen that coming, but didn't._ He did take her to the Christmas Eve gathering at the Walker's after all and at Ann's request, spent time with her. "I know it probably seemed that way but no, it isn't Evelyn. It's Ann."

They didn't see that coming either.

His parent's looked at each other for a moment and then his father looked at him. "Ann Walker?"

"Yes Sir."

"We had no idea." Mama said quietly and he could see that she was trying to understand. "The only time we ever saw you two together were at the Sunday picnics but she always sat with Sarah, and Hank if he was there."

"When did all of this start?" Dad asked with a frown and he too was having a hard time grasping what Danny was trying to explain.

"I'm not really sure Dad; it just seemed to sneak up on me. She changed so much from the kid I remember when I left to go to the Academy and when I got home there was this girl that I didn't recognize. She's so easy to talk to and we started talking about the situation with Caroline and she didn't hesitate to give me her opinion on the matter. And it seemed the more we talked the more I began to really notice how much she had grown up."

"Do I need to ask you if anythin' has happened that shouldn't have?" His look was deadly serious.

_Ann was right; they should have talked to their parents together._ His father was asking the same questions her father asked and it made him even more uncomfortable to have to answer his own parents.

"No Sir."

"Have you kissed her?" He continued.

"Yes Sir."

"Does Danny know about any of this?"

Danny nodded. "I've already talked to him. He wanted the chance to talk to Mrs. Walker and to Ann before I talked to you to get her side of things."

"How do you feel about her?" Mama asked and she began to smile.

He smiled back. "I care for her a lot."

"And there ain't anythin' more to it than _that_?" Dad asked.

"There _is_ more to it but I don't know exactly how to explain it." Danny admitted. "Maybe it's because we've known each other for most of our lives, but everything just seems to fit. She already knows me and it's made it a lot easier to talk and give me the chance to get to know _her_."

"I think the same could be said for her as well." His mother added. "You were always the one who could draw her out of her shell when she was a little girl. Sandra worried for the longest time that Ann would be as shy as _she_ was. But she and Danny wouldn't let her and you certainly wouldn't either."

He was puzzled at his mother's remark. "I always thought that Sarah was better at that than I was."

"She had her own way, but Ann seemed to trust you in a way that she didn't with other children."

Danny grinned. "I don't know that it was trust Mama, I think it irritation."

His mother was serious. "Don't be smart about this Danny, you know darn well what I meant."

"I think the trust she's always had in you comes from the fact that you fished her out of the Pacific." Dad reminded him. "She wasn't even five years old yet and you and your sister were back from Tennessee."

He'd forgotten about that and nodded at the sudden memory. "We were at the beach the last Sunday before school started. Mama and Mrs. Walker made a picnic lunch and we went down by the water. She and Mrs. Walker were looking after Ann, Shelby and Tom and you and Major Walker were looking after Sarah and Joe."

"When I look back now, no one was keeping much of an eye on _you_." She remembered. "You always seemed older than your years and we didn't worry much about you. But to this day I still don't understand how she got away from us."

"With all the kids gettin' up and runnin' around while we were still tryin' to eat, it's easy to see how it happened." Dad recalled. "Four adults ain't no match for six kids and we sure found that out in a hurry."

"I'd never seen Danny in such a panic." She sighed. "We had no idea where she'd gotten off to and didn't even begin to know where to look."

"But thanks to our eagle eyed son he spotted her real quick, swimmin' like a seal out in the ocean." He remarked.

"I didn't have to look very far to see that she had floated farther out than she should have but she never panicked. As I remember she was more upset that I brought her in than her being almost a half-mile out." Danny said to them. "One of the first letters I got from Sarah after I started my first year at the Academy was that Ann was the only freshman swimmer on the varsity team. And she's never placed less than third for the last four years."

Dad grinned. "I believe I hear a note of pride in your voice son."

He grinned back self-consciously. "I'm waiting for swimming season to start because I haven't had the chance to see her race yet."

"Nice and evasive Danny." He laughed.

"Leave him be Rafe, you're embarrassing him." Mama admonished him. "Sandra had her suspicions when she saw you walk Ann home from the beach more than once but said she denied that anything was going on."

"That's because nothing was going on when she saw us, all I was doing was walking her home."

"So what happens now?" Dad asked him.

"I want to take her out." He answered simply.

"Did you have something in mind?" His mother asked.

He nodded and then he sighed. "I told her I wanted to take her to the Royal Hawaiian but then I got to thinking that a place like that is something you work up to. It might be too much for a first date." He didn't bother to tell them that Hank mentioned it first because it would mean that he would have to explain that his old roommate knew what was going on before his own parents. It was awkward enough that Sarah already knew.

"You make a good point." His father agreed. "If you're havin' second thoughts about takin' her there, take her to dinner somewhere else and then go to a movie. I know it don't sound like much, but sometimes it's the small things that are the most memorable."

"Like a bottle of champagne in front of a certain hospital." Mama smiled. "That's something _I'll_ never forget."

"I won't either honey." He smiled back before he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Made that broken nose worth it."

She laughed. "Don't forget how that happened Rafe McCawley, you were trying to impress me."

"It worked though, didn't it?" His smile turned into a grin and his mother's face flushed.

"That it did."

Danny always loved these moments between his parents because he got to really see how much they still loved each other and how much their shared past mattered to them. It gave him the chance to see them not as his parents but as the married couple that they were. It used to make him somewhat envious when he was still with Caroline, but now that he and Ann were going to get their chance he was going to have the opportunity to see if they might have that same kind of magic his parents did.

"So do either of you have any suggestions? A movie we can figure out, but I didn't really want to take her to someplace where there are a lot of tourists."

"Honey, I don't know that you're going to be able to avoid that." She told him. "Oahu is one of the most popular islands in Hawaii and with the Arizona Memorial here, it makes it even more so."

"You _could_ always take her to the Black Cat Café." His father suggested. "It's always been a place that's been more for the folks who live here. It's out of the way and it ain't ever really crowded. You could have a nice dinner and you're right across from the movie house."

The Black Cat was something else Hank suggested and with his own father backing up the idea without realizing it, Danny began to think that it might be a better way to start things off. It was important to him that he do things right with Ann because he would only get one chance. He grinned at his parents, "If I do that, I won't have to wear my dress uniform."

"You were goin' to pull out all the stops, weren't you?" Dad seemed surprised.

"That was my plan, but I'm beginning to realize that it might not be so overwhelming for either of us if I _do_ keep it casual."

"Well even if you don't wear your dress uniform, I would hope that you would dress appropriately just the same." Mama added. "You may have decided to keep this casual, but it doesn't mean that you have to dress like it."

"Yes Ma'am." Danny understood that while his mother wasn't trying to tell him what to do, she was telling him what she _would _prefer.

"Just take your time with her son because she's young yet. She ain't ever really been away from home except to her grandparents and yours and you've seen a bit more of the world than she has."

"Dad, I promise you and Mama that nothing will happen that shouldn't. Ann means a lot to me and I don't want to ruin that." He pledged to them.

"Then we won't say anythin' else about it."

"Thank you." And he boosted himself of the edge of the counter and unfolded his arms. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to shove off now."

"What are your plans today Danny?" Mama asked him as she and his father followed him to the front door.

"I was thinking about going up later but I hadn't decided if I really wanted to."

Dad frowned. "Be careful not to burn yourself out Danny. I know you want to keep your flyin' skills sharp, but there is a reason your instructors want you to take your days off and not fly. If you get too tired, it has just the opposite effect."

"Yes Sir." His father was right and Danny knew it.

"It's a beautiful day and it seems a shame to waste it, why don't you head on down to the beach for a little while? You've always said that the ocean air clears your head."

"That it does Mama. So I think I will go down there for a while before I head home." He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Thanks for breakfast, it was great as usual."

"You're welcome Danny. But maybe one of these Sunday's you could have _us_ over." She smiled. "You have to learn to cook and what easier way to start than breakfast?"

"One of these Sunday's soon." He smiled back as he pushed open the screen door and stepped out on to the porch.

He raised a hand in farewell before he headed down the walk and strolled toward the beach.

* * *

A/N: Sorry kids, but this is it for awhile. I've come down with a bad case of writer's block and do not know how I'm going to proceed with Danny and Ann. I've got some ideas, but nothing has panned out that will move the story forward. I will accept any and all ideas you have to try and help get this story moving again so please feel free to email me.

BTW: What would you think about pairing Hank with Evelyn instead of Sarah?


	24. The Black Cat Cafe

Danny called her from his quarters a couple days after he talked to her father and told her that he'd spoken to his parents as well. He also told her that after a talk with Hank he felt dinner at a big hotel was something that they should save for a special occasion. She agreed because she knew that he was right.

It _was_ a cute little place, even Ann couldn't argue with that and a movie theater across the street. Besides, the history that went along with the Black Cat Café was just as important to their families as the Royal Hawaiian was. After Danny's father had "returned from the dead" as he put it, he and Danny's mother met her father at the café for breakfast on the morning Pearl Harbor was bombed. It was also the place where her father finally got up the nerve to propose to her mother.

They decided on the following Saturday and when Danny came to pick her up that early evening she had a knot in her stomach. It wasn't because she was having second thoughts, but it was the fact that after nearly three months they were bringing their budding relationship out in to the open and she wasn't sure how it was all going to play out. She was glad that Shelby and Tom weren't there when Danny showed up because she didn't want a crowd. Mama sent them over to the McCawley's and they were going to the beach. After she and Danny left for the café, Mama and Dad planned to join them.

Her father answered the knock at the front door. "Come on in son, she's ready to go."

"Thank you sir." She heard Danny's voice and he stepped into the house. Ann had only ever seen him in his uniform or civvies, which usually consisted of his dungarees and a tee shirt, so she wasn't really prepared for how nice he looked. The first thing she noticed was that he was clean-shaven and got a faint scent of his shaving soap. He wore a white shirt that was open at the collar and sleeves that were rolled up just below his elbows. His khaki trousers and loafers completed the casual look and he smiled at her. "You look nice Ann."

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself." She returned the compliment and felt her cheeks begin to warm. She was glad she decided on the dress that Danny had seen her in when she met him at the beach the night of the dance. The one difference was that she substituted the sandals she wore that night with a pair of low-heeled shoes.

"So have you decided what movie you're going to see?" Mama asked them as she put an arm around Ann's shoulders. It felt as though her mother was telling her that she understood how nervous she felt.

"No Ma'am, I thought that we could decide that over dinner. Is that all right with you?" Danny asked her.

"That sounds fine." She assured him before she picked up her handbag from the coffee table and her mother handed a sweater to her.

"It gets chilly after the sun sets." She explained.

"Thank you Mama." Ann smiled at her.

"Have a nice time." Mama said and hugged her.

"If you would, have her home by eleven." Her father said to Danny and Ann had never seen him so serious.

"I will Sir." He looked at Ann. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." She answered and before they walked out the door she hugged her father. "Don't worry about anything Dad, I'll be home on time."

She felt his arms tighten around her as he hugged her back. "I know you will."

He let her go and stood back with her mother as Danny waited for her to proceed him out the door. "I parked down at my folk's house." He seemed to feel the need to explain.

"That's fine." She answered and the enormity of what was happening seemed to suddenly strike her. They were on a date and it felt much different than she thought it would. She suddenly felt very young and inexperienced and wondered what he saw in her. She could sense that he was glancing over at her as they reached his car and when he opened the passenger door put a gentle hand on her arm.

"Is everything all right?"

She could only nod because she seemed to lose her ability to talk to him. That in itself was odd because he was the easiest person to talk to and she had done more than her fair share when he was muddling his way through the last months of his relationship with Caroline. But that was different because they didn't mean anything to each other.

He waited until she was seated before he closed the door and walked around the front of the car to the driver's side and got in. "You're not upset because I changed my mind about the hotel are you?" His question broke into her jumbled thoughts and she realized that he hadn't started the car.

She shook her head. "I'm not upset. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed but that's only because it was what we talked about doing. But you were right when you said that we should save that date for something special."

"Just so long as you understand that it wasn't because I didn't want to take you there."

Ann couldn't help but smile. "Are you nervous about this?"

Danny looked a little confused at her question but he nodded in the affirmative anyway. "This is kind of a big deal for me."

"It is for me too. So just think how much more nervous we would have been if you had shown up at my parent's house in your dress uniform and I had worn my mother's formal. I think you're decision to not make this such a deal was a good idea and I'm glad that Hank said something to you."

"Ann, are _you_ nervous about this?" He seemed to feel the need to ask.

"Not as much as I was before you came to the door. The truth is, if you hadn't said something I don't know that _I_ would have and you would have gotten the mistaken idea that I was upset about the change in our dinner plans." She explained.

"You're right about that and I would have felt like I'd broken a promise."

"But you didn't really because you're still taking me out to dinner, just on a smaller scale."

Danny grinned at her as he put the key in the ignition and started the car. "A much smaller scale."

The mood was considerably lighter as he pulled away from the curb and headed off base. The traffic was thick as they reached downtown because so many of the sailors, marines and airmen were in Honolulu for the evening. The cars were nearly at a standstill as they kept stopping and going as servicemen crossed the streets, seemingly without regard for the motorists that they were blocking.

"I'm going to have a heck of a time finding a spot near the café." Danny commented as he waited for a group of airmen to cross the street. "Would if be all right with you if we walked the rest of the way? It's not too far."

"If you can find a parking place I have no objections." She assured him and sat back while he negotiated the cars and the service personnel that kept walking in front of the car. A metered space appeared but he passed it up.

A spot suddenly opened up in front of the café as another car put on their blinker and pulled out. It was a tight squeeze but Danny managed to park his car and as he shut down the engine, laughed. "I'll have to remember to thank Dad for being such a drill instructor when he taught me to parallel park."

He checked the street before he opened his door and got out. He came around the front of the car and opened Ann's door. He held out his hand to her and helped her out of the car before he closed the door behind her. From what Ann could see, the cafe was bustling with people and wondered if they would be able to get a seat. Danny opened the door and put his hand on her back to usher her inside.

It was as though they'd stepped back into the 1940's and Ann almost expected the younger versions of her parents to come through the door for pie and coffee after one of their dates and the mood was further enhanced with the jukebox playing one of Glenn Miller's songs. He steered her toward an empty booth toward the back of the café because there was a little more privacy.

"It doesn't look as though this place has changed in twenty years." Danny seemed to read her mind.

"Maybe that's why it's still such a popular spot." Ann replied. "This place has a reputation for some of the best food on Oahu."

He laughed. "Anything would be better than Navy chow after awhile."

She smiled back and him. "Says the man who lived on Air Force Academy chow for four years and has probably never seen the inside of a Navy chow hall."

"Annie Walker, are you defending the Navy?"

"You seem to forget Lieutenant that our mothers were both _Navy_ nurses." She shook her head in amusement.

"The operative word here being _were_. They've both been civilians since they got married." He countered.

Ann didn't have the chance to reply before they were approached by a waitress who gave them a couple of menus to look at and Danny ordered sodas for them.

As she looked at her menu, Ann got the sense that he was watching her. When she looked up it's exactly what he _was_ doing and he was smiling. "What?"

"I like doing that." He said somewhat cryptically.

"Doing what?" She could feel her face warm from his steady gaze.

"Sparing with you. I've never met another girl who can do it as easily as you can."

She shrugged. "It's probably because I've known you most of my life and it's not something I have to think about."

"Maybe. Or maybe it's because you enjoy it as much as I do." He grinned.

"I think you enjoy it a little too much." She stifled a laugh. "Now pay attention to your menu and pick something to order before she comes back."

"I'd rather pay attention to you." Danny said as his grin faded into a gentle smile.

"And it's making me very self-conscious."

"I'm sorry." He answered and didn't look it in the least.

Her face warmed even more. "No you're not."

"You're right, I'm not because I don't think you know how much I want to kiss you right now."

"Yes I do because it's written all over your face." She told him because she _wanted_ him to kiss her but instead pointed to his menu. "So stop stalling and pick something."

He grinned at her again. "I already did; I picked you."


	25. First Date

He paid the check and waited for her proceed him out the front door of the diner.

The crowds of servicemen had thinned out, most likely because they'd found a movie they wanted to see or a restaurant they wanted to eat at. Danny worried earlier as he was driving around that it might trigger an attack of claustrophobia with Ann and wanted to get her inside as soon as he could. But it didn't seem to have affected her.

"We never did decide on a movie, did we?" She commented as they walked to his car.

"No we didn't. Is there anything you really want to see?" He asked as he started to open the passenger door for her.

"I haven't seen your quarters yet." The suggestion seemed innocent enough but Danny knew better than to fall for her idea.

"You know we can't do that."

She smiled. "I know, I just thought I would ask."

He grinned back. "I'll give you a gold star for the effort."

"I'd rather see your quarters."

He nodded. "I know but you're not going to. So with that off the table, do you want to see a movie?"

"It doesn't really matter. As long as we're together, that's the important thing." She shrugged her shoulders and the urge to kiss her came over him again.

"That _is_ the important thing. So why don't we go across the street to see what's playing and then we can spend a couple of hours together." He smiled at her.

"All right." She agreed as he let go of the door handle and took her hand in his. They walked across the street and studied the marquis before deciding on a movie they could both watch and Danny paid for the tickets.

"Popcorn?" He asked as they passed the concession counter.

Ann shook her head. "No thank you, I'm still full from dinner."

"They sure didn't skimp on the portions." He commented. "We should go there again sometime."

Danny found a couple of spots in the back row that Ann referred to as 'Nose Bleed' seats even though he explained that he wanted to be able to see the whole screen. The fact of the matter was he had already thought out the situation, as a good officer always did. He figured that once the lights went down, with no one behind them and few people in front of them he might just get that kiss he'd wanted since he picked her up earlier that evening. It was because of that, that the movie wasn't important. What _was_ important as Ann said, they were together.

The lights eventually went down and the overture began as the credits began to roll. Danny reached over for her hand and without hesitation she laced her fingers through his. He glanced over at her and she seemed engrossed in watching the opening dialog in what turned out to be a war movie.

It seemed that with the war in Vietnam escalating, a lot of movies about the Second World War had come out in the last few years. He wasn't sure why and his dad didn't think it was right to glorify such a thing, even though what they fought for was for all the right reasons. Danny had yet to experience war himself and his feelings about it were mixed.

He felt Ann's head on his shoulder and heard her sigh. "I hate war movies."

"We don't have to stay if you don't want to." He offered.

"But you paid for the tickets, it wouldn't be right to leave without watching." She sighed again.

__

Now was his chance.

"We can stay if you want to, but we don't _have_ to watch the movie." Was all he said and he waited for her to fully understand what he was getting at.

"What is it about you and dark places?" She finally said.

Danny grinned and squeezed her hand. "I only think about dark places when I'm with you."

"I think there's a compliment in there somewhere." She said quietly and he could sense that she was trying not to laugh. "So if we're not going to watch the movie, you must have something in mind."

"I have something in mind." He answered just as quietly before he leaned over and kissed her. It was something of a shock because it had a few weeks since he'd last kissed her and it was sweeter than he remembered. It must have been a bit of a shock for her too because she pulled away. "You've got magic in your lips Annie."

"I was about to say the same thing about you Lieutenant." Her husky voice made him smile and he kissed her again.

The second time she didn't balk and her hands seemed to know exactly where they wanted to go. They left a trail of goose bumps up his chest as they moved to join around his neck as she kissed him back and left no doubt that she'd missed him as much as he'd missed her.

His own hands found their way around her waist and pulled her as close as the arm rest between them would allow and he laughed. "It's a good thing that thing is there or we might be in some serious trouble."

"It's a good thing we're here and not your quarters or we'd _really_ be in some serious trouble." She added.

"Be quiet Ann, I'm trying to watch the movie." He smiled as his lips found hers, still warm from his kiss He felt her smile and then heard her frustrated sigh.

"This isn't going to work." She whispered as she got up from her seat and walked to the exit.

Danny had no choice but to follow her out to the lobby. "My quarters are still out of the question. So what were you thinking of doing?"

"There's still daylight and we haven't been for a walk on the beach in awhile." She suggested.

"You'd rather go for a walk on the beach than neck with me in a dark theater." He teased her. "I think there's an insult in there somewhere."

Her face flushed as she smiled. "It's _not_ what I would rather do but the way things always seem to progress with us it's probably the prudent thing to do."

"A walk it is then." He agreed as he took her hand and walked with her out of the theater. They waited for a couple of cars to pass before crossing the street and Danny walked her around to the passenger side and opened the door. "You may not believe this, but I'm glad you stopped things when you did."

She looked a little dubious at his admission. "You are?"

"I am because it reminds me that the reason I want to spend time with you isn't just so I can kiss you, that's just a bonus." He grinned as she sat down and then closed the door. "It also reminds me that the reason I want to spend time with you is that I feel good when we're together."

He walked around the front of the car and checked for traffic before he opened his door and got in. It didn't take him long to drive down to the beach and he found a place to park. He shut down the engine and after he got out of the car walked back to the trunk and pulled out a folded blanket. He got in the habit of leaving one there when he was still in high school because sometimes when he would finish his job at the Oahu Market he would go to the beach and study instead of going home and sitting in his room. He hadn't heard Ann get out of the car when he looked up to see her standing in front of him.

"We don't need a blanket to walk." She commented.

"I know. But I just realized that we got here in time to watch the sun set, if you want to. I haven't had the time since I've been home."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Ann smiled at him as he closed the trunk and took her hand in his free one.

"That's the way it should be, don't you think?" He asked her as they walked onto the sand.

They trudged down toward the water and Danny could feel a stiff breeze coming off of the ocean. It always refreshed him to feel the air on his face and usually managed to blow the cobwebs out of his brain when he'd been working too hard. That was one of the reasons that he'd talked Hank into jogging with him every afternoon.

As he'd hoped, the sun was beginning to sink low in the sky and he looked for a spot to put the blanket down. It hadn't been his intention to look for a secluded spot for them but one just seemed to appear and it occurred to Danny that Ann would think he'd planned it. But luck seemed to be with him that early evening because she spotted it too and suggested that he put the blanket down there. He played along as though he hadn't seen it and asked her if she was sure.

"What's wrong Lieutenant, afraid I might ravish you?" She laughed as he shook the blanket out and set it down on the warm sand.

"That is not something I'm afraid of Annie, it's something I'm looking forward to." He grinned back at her.

He watched as she flushed, predictably but suddenly she was serious. "What _are_ you afraid of Danny?"

He held out his hand to her and she took it as he helped her to sit. She slipped her shoes off and curled her feet under her as he sat down next to her and kicked off his loafers. He put his arms around his knees and looked out at the orange ball of the sun that was sinking down on the horizon. "I'm afraid of what could happen when I have to go out on those last two training missions. I'm afraid of what could happen once I get put into the rotation because there's always the possibility of getting shot down and being captured. And if it _were_ to happen that I got shot down I think I'd rather die in the crash than get put in a prisoner of war camp."

"But at least in a POW camp you'd be alive." She reasoned as she touched his arm and her voice was soft.

"And from what those pilots told us, there were plenty of times they _wished_ that they were dead."

He felt her head on his shoulder as she slipped her arm through his. "This isn't exactly the way I pictured our first date ending up, talking about combat and POW camps."

"Remember what I told you? If we're going to make a go of this, these are things you'll have to know. If it's not something you think you can deal with then we need to make some decisions before we get in too deep."

"I'm already _in_ too deep, so I'll have to learn to live with it." Her voice had gotten tight and came out as a whisper.

He glanced down at her and tears had begun to roll down her cheeks. He put his arms around her and he felt her arms around his neck, holding him tight and he tried to soothe her. "I'm sorry Ann, I didn't mean to make you cry."

She nodded as though to let him know she knew that but it wasn't enough to get her to calm down. Danny didn't know what else to do so he stretched out on the blanket and took her with him. His only intention was to hold her so he could try and comfort her in some way but as she stretched out next to him and he felt her so snug against him he quickly realized that it was a bad idea.

When she kissed him, it all went to hell in a hand basket.

He couldn't help but remember wondering what it would be like to be in a tangle of arms and legs with her as they necked on the beach and he was finding out in a hurry. The only thing was, it wasn't what she needed, even if she didn't think so. He tried to slow things down by keeping his kisses gentle and not letting his hands go where they wanted. But she seemed to have set a course for them and where that going to end, he didn't want to find out. Not like that.

As gently as he could, he took her arms from around his neck and put her far enough away from him so that he could get up and he brought her with him. She looked confused and her eyes were red from crying. "What are you doing?"

"Cooling things off." He told her as he took her by the hand and pulled her off the blanket toward the water's edge.

"Danny." She seemed to realize what he was about to do and literally dug her heels into the sand and tugged on his hand. "Don't you dare!"

"It's for your own good and it won't do me any harm either." He was chastising himself for allowing his body to respond to her when it wasn't what she needed. She kept stalling and tried to pull her hand out of his grasp. "I'll carry you in if I have to."

"You wouldn't dare." She challenged. He heard the anger in her voice and knew that he'd diverted her attention from talk of combat and the feel of their bodies so close together.

"I dare." He answered the challenge and picked her up. She struggled in his arms and he wondered again if what he was doing was such a good idea because she felt so good against him. He walked out into the water and when he got waist deep, dropped her in. She let out a squeak of surprise as she hit the water and went under. When she came back up a moment later she started to laugh.

"I guess I deserved that."

"I didn't know what else to do." He admitted and laughed with her. "I've never felt compelled to drop a girl in the ocean before."

"Well, I've never felt compelled to pull an Air Force pilot in either." She answered and caught him off guard because the next thing Danny knew Ann grabbed his hands and with help from the outgoing tide pulled him in with her. When he came up she was nearly chest high in water and she was laughing.

"You look like a drowned rat Annie." He smiled.

"Well if I look like a drowned rat, what does that make you?" She kept laughing and Danny was relieved to see that her good spirits had returned.

"It makes me a very wet Air Force pilot." He grinned at her.

"A very handsome Air Force pilot in my opinion."

Her eyes were fairly glowing and Danny's heart did an odd flip. He was falling in love with her; he knew that now and wondered if she was feeling the same way about him. "You're defeating the whole purpose of this little dip in the ocean when you look at me like that."

"Have you ever kissed a girl in the ocean?" She asked as she backed up.

"I can't say that I have."

"Now's your chance." She laughed again and he waded over to her.

"Do your parents have any idea what a little vixen you are?" He asked as he put his arms around her and pulled her against him.

"How could they when I'm only a vixen with you." Ann looked into his eyes and put her arms around his neck.

"I'm flattered." He leaned over and kissed her. And before he had the chance to react because he wasn't expecting it, Ann leaned back and they went in the water again.

When they came up Danny glanced at the horizon and the sun was nearly down. "Come on Miss Vixen. We came here to watch the sunset."

"Only if you carry me." She smiled. "You carried me in here, so I think it's only fair that you carry me out."

"Fair enough." He agreed and it took some effort because her water logged state made her heavier but he picked her up, walked with her out of the water and carried her back to where they'd been sitting. After he put her back on her feet he sat down, settled her between his knees and wrapped them up in the large blanket.

She leaned against his chest and as they watched the sun finish setting, she sighed.

"What was that for?" He smiled at her as he rested his cheek on her hair.

"This is the nicest first date I've ever had." She snuggled against him and he wrapped the blanket even tighter around them.

He couldn't help but hope that this would be his last first date, _ever_.

"For me too Annie, for me too."


	26. Danny's Girl

With the exception of a lighted lamp by the living room window, the Walker's house was dark when Danny walked Ann to her door.

She knew that he'd promised her father that he would have her home by eleven and at nine thirty, they could have stayed out longer, but after their unplanned sunset dip they were both still damp. He was concerned that she would catch cold once they came out of their blanket cocoon and wanted to get her home so she could get into some dry clothes.

Ann knew better than to disagree with him because there was no way to persuade him that she was all right.

"What would you say to swimming tomorrow?" He suggested as he held her close against him. "We'll do it right though and actually wear swimsuits."

"I kind of like the way we did it tonight." She laughed.

"But it wasn't part of the date." He reminded her.

"I know that, but it's the part of our first date that I'll remember the most."

"So will I." He admitted before he leaned over and kissed her.

Ann couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something different in the way he kissed her. It felt to her as though more of his emotions were in it and she wondered what it was that he was feeling. Her feelings for _him_ since Christmas were changing rapidly and knew that she was falling in love with him. It was something that she figured would happen the more they saw of each other, but Ann didn't count on it happening as quickly as it did.

But Gramps _had_ told her that once Cupid's Arrow found her, she wouldn't have any say in the matter. He was right.

"You shouldn't be thinking when I'm kissing you Ann I'll get a complex. That or I'll just have to try harder." His gentle admonition brought her thoughts back around to his warm lips and solid frame as his hands began to wander down her back. As they slipped down past the small of her back, he got her full attention when his lips found a sensitive spot behind her ear and began to trail down her neck.

Ann had gotten a shock the first time she felt his hands on her bare skin, but it wasn't anything like the feel of his lips on her as they moved down toward her collar bone and things were moving too fast. She shook her head in an attempt to let him know that it was too much and to her relief he seemed to understand because his hands moved up to the middle of her back and he held her close. She could feel the rapid beat of his heart under her trembling hand and knew it affected him as much as it had her.

"I'm sorry." He sighed as he ran a soothing hand across her back. "_I_ should have been thinking."

"What are we going to do?" She asked him with a whisper because she couldn't seem to find her voice. "We can't keep doing this."

"I think the way we're doing this works, for us. You keep me in check and I drop you in the ocean." His voice sounded thick with emotion as he tried to tease her. "As long as we know what our limits are, we'll keep putting the brakes on things."

She'd had a conversation with Evelyn about this very thing right after New Years. "But what happens when we can't do that anymore, or for that matter don't _want_ to? Then what are we supposed to do? Danny, every time we're together things go a little bit farther than they have before and it seems to me that we're getting dangerously close to jumping off a cliff."

The look on his face told her that he was thinking the same thing. "I made your dad a promise and I don't intend on breaking it."

"_I_ believe that you believe that and I know that Dad's holding you to it. But can you honestly tell me that you'll always be able to remember that?" She turned out of his arms and sat down on the swing.

He followed and sat down next to her on the opposite side of the swing. "Do you ever think about it?"

She glanced at him and felt her face flush. "Of course I think about it. Why do you think we're having this conversation?"

"Because we can't keep our hands off of each other?" He grinned.

His remark hit too close to the mark for Ann and she punched him in the arm. "Don't _do_ that, this is serious."

"I know it is but it doesn't change the truth of it, I like touching you. I like the feel of your skin because it's so soft and I like the feel of your hands on me." He was dead serious as he rubbed his arm. "And I know how much you like the feel of my hands on you too."

She did, more than he could know but couldn't possibly say it out loud so she nodded instead. She felt the swing move as he slid over next to her and took her hand gently in his. "Ann, it isn't easy for me to say these things because what I feel for you I've never felt for any other girl. I say what I do because I want you to know how much I care for you and how much I like being with you, even if it's something as simple as holding your hand and sitting next to you on a swing."

Ann put her head down on his shoulder and felt his grip become more firm. "This whole thing scares me sometimes because there are situations that I find myself in with you that I never would have been in with anyone else. And I've started to wonder what it would feel like to go to sleep in your arms."

"I know Annie, I have too." He admitted as he rested his cheek on her hair. "But there isn't anything wrong with that and as much as we might want to, we aren't going to act on anything we feel."

"No."

She felt him sit up and he squeezed her hand. "Let's go over to my parents house for awhile, if you can stand the knowing looks we'll get from our brothers and sisters. I think you'll feel better if you can see your mother."

"We can't exactly go over there looking like this." She sat up and smiled at him. "The looks we would get would be very confused."

"I didn't mean _now_. I'll go back to my quarters so I can shower and change and give you time to do the same. Then we can walk over there together." He stood up with her hand still in his and pulled her up next to him. "It's been quite an evening Ann and I'm glad I got to spend it with you."

"Hold that thought until after we've gotten the third degree from our families. If we get through that, then I'll agree with you."

"I stand by what I said." He took her other hand and gave her a light kiss. "I'll be back in a half hour."

"I'll be ready." She promised as he let go of her hands and stepped off the porch. He walked down to the front gate and as he turned up the sidewalk, raised a hand. She waved back and as he disappeared up toward his parent's house she turned around and walked into the house.

The house always felt so different when her family was gone because the heart of the house was gone. It was dim but the stove light was on and cast some additional illumination into the living room.

She walked down the hallway to her room and turned on the light. The first thing she saw was the snow globe from Danny on her nightstand and she smiled at the memory of that Christmas Eve.

She went through her closet and decided on one of her everyday dresses and a pair of sandals to change into before she headed to the bathroom and showered off the Pacific Ocean.

As she promised, Ann was back on the front porch a half-hour later when Danny pulled up in front of the house. He was in his favorite off duty uniform of dungarees, a tee shirt, beat up loafers and a Hawaiian shirt. This was the Danny that she was used to and it eased the tension from earlier when she saw him standing in her living room. "I called my parents and told them we were coming."

She stepped off the porch and Danny took her hand. "I'll let go before we get to the house."

"You don't need to." She gripped his hand. "You said yourself that you didn't want to hide this."

"I did and I don't. But my parents are still getting used to the idea." He explained.

"I understand. It's probably just as well that my parents don't see it either." She agreed as they turned onto the sidewalk and strolled down to the McCawley's house. The front door was open and Danny opened the screen door and waited for Ann and then followed her in.

The house was quiet except for the voices of their parents on the back porch. "Dad, Mama, we're here."

"Come on back son." Ann heard the voice of Major McCawley and she followed Danny to the back porch. He held the screen door open for her and she walked out ahead of him. It squeaked as it closed and she felt him come to a stop close behind her.

Her mother and Mrs. McCawley were sitting on the sofa and Major McCawley sat in the overstuffed chair. Her father was leaning against the porch rail with a beer in his hand and he had a guarded look on his face. "Y'all decided to change."

"Yes Sir we did. When I took Ann home I suggested coming over here and I thought she would be more comfortable if we changed." He fabricated the reason.

"And you're early." He continued.

"The only thing that we could agree on turned out to be a war movie." Ann stepped into the breach. "So we went down to the beach and watched the sun set instead."

Danny's father sighed. "I wish they'd stop makin' those damn war pictures. They ain't anythin' like it really is."

"How was dinner?" Danny's mother asked as she glanced with concern at Major McCawley. "Dad and I haven't been to the Black Cat in a long time."

"It's a quaint place." Ann told her. "The minute we walked in I heard Glenn Miller playing on the jukebox."

"He was always one of Martha's favorites." Mama smiled. "When we were sharing quarters, his records were all she played. And when he made a stop here on his way overseas, she was practically in the front row."

"And don't forget that 'Moonlight Serenade' was the first song that you and Danny danced to." Mrs. McCawley said to her.

"It was a night I'll never forget." Dad said quietly as he looked at Mama. "It wasn't exactly our first date because I didn't ask you out but it was the first time I ever held you in my arms."

"I remember." She smiled at him and then she looked at Ann. "Did you have a nice time?"

"We did. It was something that I'll always remember." She smiled at her mother.

"I'm glad to hear that." Mama smiled back at her and looked as though she had a million questions.

"We've got some Cokes in the icebox if you'd like to have one." Mrs. McCawley offered.

"Thanks Mama but I'll pass. Would you like one?" He looked at Ann.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm still full from dinner."

Major McCawley laughed. "They still over do the portions, do they?"

"Yes Sir."

"As I recall, there was a retired Navy cook there when we were young. I wonder if that old geezer is still there?" He wondered.

"Or maybe they just found another retired Navy cook." Dad grinned. "They made the best coffee I ever had."

"I like that Daniel Walker." Mama raised her eyebrows in protest.

"They made the best coffee I ever had in a restaurant, how's that?" He laughed.

"That's better. So have you made any more plans?"

"Yes Ma'am. We're going to the beach tomorrow afternoon and go swimming." Danny glanced at her and tried not to smile but it didn't seem to be lost on his father.

"Is there somethin' that you want to tell us son?" It was almost as though Major McCawley knew what happened.

"No Sir. We were watching the sun set and the surfers were out, so I suggested that we go for a swim." There was a sound in his voice that was almost defensive.

"Where is everybody?" Ann asked their parents. "I thought for sure they'd all be running around out here."

"They're in our room watching television." Mrs. McCawley answered. "It's not something Rafe and I usually encourage but when Danny called we thought it would be easier if you weren't peppered with questions from a lot of people."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome honey. Are you sure you wouldn't like a Coke?" She asked.

"Thank you Mrs. McCawley but I'm fine."

She felt Danny's hand on her shoulder. "If you're ready, I'll walk you home. It's time that I get back to my quarters and get some sack time."

"All right."

"You're welcome to stay here Danny." His mother told him. "You always come for breakfast and since you're already here it doesn't make sense for you to go all the way back to your quarters."

"I guess it doesn't." Ann could hear some hesitation in his voice before he agreed. "Thank you Mama. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He opened the screen door and waited for her.

He'd gotten a little tense and she didn't want to add to it so Ann walked out ahead of him and moved toward the front door. She pushed open the screen door and waited for him to follow her out to the front porch. When the door closed behind him, he took her hand as they strolled down to the sidewalk.

"I hate telling her no." He finally said.

"You didn't want to come back tonight did you?" She asked even though she knew the answer.

"I don't usually mind staying at the house, but I have the feeling my parents are going to have some questions for me after your parents go home. And the truth is, I don't really want to talk about it."

"If it makes you feel any better, my parents are probably going to have some questions for me too. Dad seemed awfully curious as to why we'd changed and he's going to want to know why." She sighed and she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand.

"It's my fault. If I hadn't taken you into the water we wouldn't have had to change."

"That's true, but I didn't really give you much of an option." And she stopped. "You were right when you said that we know our limits because one of us manages to stop anything that starts to get out of hand. I walked out of the theater and you tossed me in the Pacific, it all evens out."

"You think so?" He smiled at her as they walked into her parent's yard and stepped up on the porch. "One was a little more extreme than the other."

"I gave you cause." She shrugged her shoulders as a way of acknowledging how difficult she'd made things for him.

"So after all of this, do we still have a date at the beach tomorrow for a swim?"

"We still have a date for a swim." Ann smiled as she put her arms around his neck.

"I can think of a better place for those hands to be." Danny grinned back at her and she knew exactly what he meant.

"I know you can. And that's exactly why they're going to stay where they are." She smiled back as he leaned in and kissed her goodnight.


	27. Courtship McCawley Style

With their first date behind them, Danny and Ann began to find a rhythm to their budding relationship that gave them the opportunity to learn more about the other and figure out where they were headed. They still spent time with their families as they always had, but the McCawley's and the Walker's were now getting used to seeing them as a pair.

They never purposely touched nor did they try to avoid it, but when the families would walk together down to the beach they always walked together and sometimes one of their hands would brush up against the other's. Danny might lean over and say something to her quietly or maybe grasp her fingers for a moment, but neither of them ever made their families feel as though they were intruding. They did it that way in part because it served to build up the anticipation they would have for the moment when he would walk her home and they would stand on her porch, as he kissed her goodnight.

One of his hands would invariably find the small of her back and settle there while the other would occasionally settle lower. Her hands would find their way under his tee shirt if possible and roam the solid contours of his back. It was a feel she was quickly becoming used to and as they continued to see each other, couldn't help but want more than just a touch.

It usually happened that after they had taken their time holding the other close, sometimes a little too close and knowing it couldn't go any farther, they would end up sitting on the porch swing holding hands. Danny would joke that it was their 'cooling off' period before they would again stand at the edge of the porch. He would keep a light hold on her hands and give her a soft kiss before he would stroll down the front walk and down the street to his car that would be parked in front of his parent's house.

Word slowly started to get around to the other pilots in the squadron that McCawley had fallen hard for a girl, but because neither he nor Hank spoke about it while they were off the residential area of the base none of the others knew who she was. And if Ann _were_ to show up it would usually be on the pretext of seeing her father and if she and Danny were together, they would always give the appearance that her visit didn't make his heart beat just a little bit faster. It was nobody's damn business anyway, according to Hank.

Their happiness however, was tempered by the knowledge that the relationship between Hank and Sarah was beginning to stall, badly. _He_ wasn't talking about it, even though he wanted all sorts of details about Danny and Ann from the both of them. Sarah wasn't talking to _her_ and Ann was starting to wonder if after all the pushing she did to get her brother and her friend together that she wasn't a little jealous. But what the problem was exactly they didn't know, so they couldn't help.

As the winter months merged into spring, Ann was approaching her final weeks at Pearl Harbor High School. She'd already been accepted to the University of Hawaii but hadn't decided if she would live at home or apply for a room in the dormitory. It didn't make sense for her parents to pay for a room for her to live in when she had her own room at home Dad reasoned, but Mama _had_ made the case for Ann getting a taste for living on her own. She was going to be eighteen in August and it was time that she got the chance to step out on her own, even in the relative confines of a dormitory room.

In the meantime, Danny's flight training was coming to a close because he'd successfully completed his two training missions.

The second of the training flights had simulated the pilots being shot down and it was up to them to use the survival training they'd learned from pilots who'd been through it. It was because of that experience he and Hank formulated different plans of action in the air in case one of them was shot down or lost an engine in a combat situation.

When he wasn't in the air, he began to surf regularly again and managed to talk Ann onto a board. She went out with him, once, but told him that it was enough because he was concentrating too much on handling her and not showing her the finer points of staying upright on a slippery board. So she would stand on the shoreline and watch as he took his board out and rode a wave back in.

When she swam her final year with the varsity squad, Danny got to every meet that he could manage.

It was a thrill for Ann to look up into the stands before a race and not only see her family, but more often than not it seemed Danny would be there as well. If they could swing it, Hank and Evelyn were there too and they would all sit together and cheer her on. It was a wonderful way to finish out her senior season.

But the event that topped it all was Senior Prom.

One Sunday, as Danny walked Ann home from the beach the subject of the big dance came up when he asked if she wanted to go. It wasn't something she'd given much thought to even though there were posters and flyers plastered all over campus. Her class load was lighter her final semester but the classes she took were not easy and with homework, swim practice and meets she didn't have much time for a lot of fun.

Danny sometimes wondered if it was more important to him than to her. He took Caroline to _their_ Senior Prom and she made him wear what he thought was the ugliest tuxedo on Oahu. He was embarrassed to be seen in it and always felt that Caroline picked it because she didn't want their fellow seniors looking at him, only at her. She kept the one picture that was taken at the hotel that evening and she was welcome to it. Personally, he would have preferred to burn it.

For Ann, he wanted to wear his full dress uniform. And he did.

She was the envy of all the senior girls that night when she walked into the ballroom on the arm of her Air Force pilot because it was the first time that her friends knew that she'd been dating anyone. The music wasn't to her taste but it didn't really matter because she was with Danny and thought that he'd never looked more handsome. It was a night she would never forget.

Graduation was coming up fast for Ann and Danny's squadron was finally activated for duty.

She knew once he'd completed his final training missions that it would only be a matter of time before he would have to fly out. She just hoped it wouldn't be so close to graduation because he might not be back it time.

It was on Danny's mind as well because he wanted so much to be there to watch her receive her diploma. But the Air Force might have other ideas about that and as much as he cared for Ann, what _they_ wanted was paramount.

He flew out a couple of weeks after her prom with a picture of them taped to the control panel of his plane so he could see her on the long flight to Okinawa.

Ann found temporary relief in her worry with her final weeks of classes and study. She continued her swim season and was gratified to see that Evelyn still came to watch. She was equally disappointed to see that Sarah never seemed to come. She knew that her friend was in her last weeks at the University of Hawaii and was as busy as _she_ was, but it hurt nonetheless.

As the clock ticked down to graduation, there was no word from Danny and no word when his squadron would be coming home.

She continued to swim and to study and her mother took her to a dress shop to pick out something to wear for ceremonies and a pair of shoes to match.

The last day of school the seniors took over the quad for a luau and Ann couldn't remember seeing so many Hawaiian shirts and dresses in one place. She couldn't help but think of Danny with the shirt he always wore off duty and missed him even more.

When she finally got home her father was waiting on the front porch with the news that Danny was on his way back. They'd left Okinawa that morning with their squadron intact and their mission accomplished. He told her that by the time they reached the field Danny would be landing, if she wanted to come with him.

They reached the field in record time and met the other families that had come to greet their husbands, sons and brothers. They found the McCawley's by the gate that was closed and guarded by an MP. It was so different being outside and watching the jets come in one by one. It was noisier for one and she could almost feel them as they landed. Her father's arm was around her shoulders and her heart pounded so hard in her chest that she could feel her pulse pounding in her ears.

All the planes were finally down and slowly the pilots shut down their engines. The tension seemed to build within the small crowd and when the MP opened the gate, a flood of humanity moved toward the pilots as they climbed out of their planes.

The McCawley's ran out to see Danny and Ann couldn't help but notice that Sarah wasn't there. Why wasn't she? She couldn't see his face, but the way he was standing Ann could see that Hank was more than a little disappointed that Sarah hadn't come so her father walked out to Hank's plane and welcomed him home with a firm handshake and a clap on the shoulder.

She hung back while Danny's parents and his brother finished with their handshakes and hugs and waited. He'd been looking in her direction the moment he'd deplaned and through the welcomes from his family he seemed to be waiting for her. She took a step forward and then seemed to forget how to walk.

Danny stepped forward and stopped.

She wasn't moving and he couldn't tell from where he was if she was crying so he moved toward her to find out. What ever it was that seemed to root her feet to the tarmac let her go and she began to walk toward him and then she began to run.

He stood and waited for her.

Within seconds she was in his arms and he held her as close as his flight suit would allow. She was crying and her arms were tight around his neck. He tried to sooth her with his voice and his hands to let her know that he was all right. When he felt her body still and her arms loosen their grip he stepped back enough to look at her tear streaked face and her smile. And he kissed her.

It didn't occur to him at the time that it was the first time he'd kissed her in front of his family or hers. If he'd thought about it he wouldn't have kissed her as thoroughly as he did or let his hands wander where they shouldn't have. It was just so good to feel her in his arms because it meant that he was really home, safe and sound.

The day after he returned Ann graduated from Pearl Harbor High School and as he sat with his family to watch her receive her diploma he couldn't have been more proud. He also couldn't help but wish that she'd been able to feel that kind of pride when he'd received his degree and commission from the Academy the previous year. But she was in his arms when he came home from his first combat mission and that was so much better.

It was becoming increasingly clear to Danny that Ann was going to be a part of his future and that was going to begin with his Air Force Academy pin.


	28. Annie Walker Gets Pinned

It was a crush at the Walker's house for Ann's graduation party.

Danny was there with his family to celebrate the occasion and that contingent included his grandparents, who arrived from Tennessee that morning. They'd taken the Red Eye from Memphis and arrived in time for a family brunch.

His grandfather always had an eagle eye and Danny knew that it wasn't lost on the older man that he and Ann sat together that morning. He also knew that it wasn't lost on him that they looked at each other differently. He tried to hide a grin that was almost an 'I told you so' and Danny knew that they needed to take a walk so he could explain things.

As Gramps always loved to do when he and Danny's grandmother were in Hawaii, they went for a walk on the beach. "I guess I don't need to ask if anythin's changed with you and Annie."

Danny couldn't help but smile because whether Gramps knew it or not, he was there at the very beginning. "Nope."

He grinned back. "You ain't goin' to get away with a 'nope' with me son, so give."

"Things _have_ changed as you've already noticed and it started at Thanksgiving." He admitted.

"I had a feelin' about that when I left the two of you alone on the porch. I suppose you poured on the McCawley charm and left her swoonin'."

Danny laughed at his grandfather's comment. "She actually left _me_ swooning."

"That's my girl."

"You know that I've never been the kind of guy that's been comfortable with that sort of thing. But with Ann it's not something I think about, it just seems to come naturally."

Gramps turned serious as he sighed. "And because of that, some _other_ things come naturally too."

"I think I know where you're going with this and _that_ hasn't happened." Danny reassured the older man. He was beginning to really realize just how much the decisions his parents made all those years ago affected them even now. Since revealing that he was interested in pursuing Ann, her parents _and_ his continued to remind the both of them about consequences of actions they might take that were irreversible and now his grandfather was cautioning him as well.

"Well I'm glad to know that. But I imagine that it's a struggle sometimes when you've got her in your arms." He was still serious.

"Yes Sir it is. Now I won't lie to you and say that I haven't thought about it because I have but it doesn't mean that either of us would do anything about it."

Gramps nodded. "I'm glad to hear that son. Kids today are so different than when I was a boy. There were times when I was growin' up when a girl would have to go away for a few months to visit a sick aunt or a young couple would get married suddenly, have a baby come early but it looked like a perfect nine month baby. I didn't understand until I was a young man courtin' your grandmother how the unlikeliest of people could end up gettin' married. They always seemed so unhappy to me and I knew I never wanted to be that way. I wanted the girl I married to be the girl I _wanted_ to marry, not the girl I _had_ to marry like some of those fellows I remember havin' to do."

It was then that Danny revealed something that he'd never told anyone not even Hank, though his best friend probably already knew it. "I was never with Caroline during senior year or when we happened to be in Hawaii at the same time while I was home from the Academy. She tried to maneuver me into it once on prom night by getting a hotel room but I couldn't do it."

Gramps put a hand on his shoulder. "That's because she wasn't the right girl. And if somethin' happened because of it and you'd had to get married your folks would have been real disappointed."

"And I wouldn't have gone to the Academy."

"That's right. Your time with Ann will come and if you're as serious about her, as I believe you are, you can wait."

Danny grinned. "Says the man who married my grandmother when he wasn't even eighteen yet."

He grinned back. "That's true, but I did marry her before we did anythin' we ought not to have done. That's what made our weddin' night so special."

Danny felt his neck begin to warm with embarrassment. "Hold it Gramps that's not something I really want to know."

His grandfather laughed out loud. "You don't realize it Danny but there was a time, a long time ago mind you that your grandmother and I were young and in love and we hadn't become parents yet. We were two young people startin' our lives together and wonderin' if we were sinnin' because we loved each other so much."

"Hey! I don't want to know this!" Danny was becoming further embarrassed and wished his grandfather would change the subject.

"I ain't sayin' this to embarrass you son, but I know you understand what it is that I mean."

"Yes Sir I do."

"All right then, I won't say anythin' more about it. Now let's get back up to the house so we can help Annie's mama clean up." He grinned again as they walked back up the beach.

He thought about wearing his uniform to Ann's graduation later that day but he didn't want any of the attention taken away from her, which his uniform would certainly do. So instead, he wore the casual slacks and shirt that he'd worn on their first date because he knew she would appreciate the gesture.

He hadn't told his grandfather about his plan to give Ann his Academy pin. And as family and friends dropped by after the ceremony during the late afternoon and early evening to offer their congratulations he was beginning to think that maybe Someone was trying to tell him something.

"Why don't you get her the hell out of here?" Danny turned at the sound of his friend's low voice. "I don't think she's sat down once today and she looks like she's about ready to drop. Besides, it'll give you the opportunity to give her your pin."

"I just had to tell you about that didn't I?" He grinned and as Hank had the ability to do, wiped out a mood that was starting to sour.

"You can't help it because I don't leave you alone until you tell me what I want to know." He grinned back. "You should know that by now."

"Too bad it doesn't work that way with you and my sister."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's not go down that road Dan."

It was past time that Hank started to do some talking of his own and Danny put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's take this outside because it's time you talked."

"McCawley." Hank frowned and when Danny wouldn't move, he seemed to sense that his friend wasn't going to let him out of a long overdue conversation. They walked out to the back porch and Danny didn't know why, but had a sudden memory flash. His father and godfather ended up in the same place when Dad was trying to decide whether he was going to stay in Hawaii at the end of the war or go home.

The porch was deserted as he hoped it would be and pulled a couple of beers out of a cooler that Major Walker had stocked. He pried the caps off with the bottle opener that was on the table and handed one of the bottles to Hank as he sat down on the sofa and _he_ leaned against the porch rail. The sense of Deja Vu struck him again.

"All right Henry, give. What the hell's _not _happening with you and Sarah? And why the hell not?" Danny asked and tried not to sound like he was coming down on Hank like a two by four.

"I wish I knew." And he took a pull on the bottle.

"Come again?" Danny wasn't sure what he meant.

"Things were going along great when I took her to the dance and not long after that I went home for Christmas leave. When I came back something had started to change."

"What was it?"

"If I knew that I sure as hell wouldn't be talking about it with _you_. I'd be trying to patch things up with Sarah." He frowned and slammed the bottle down on the side table.

"And she hasn't said anything to you that would give you any kind of a clue?" Danny was puzzled because it wasn't like his sister to remain quiet when something was bothering her.

"No." He sighed again before he picked up his beer bottle and took another pull on it.

"Hank, would this have anything to do with Evelyn being with us at Ann's swim meets?" He wondered if maybe that wasn't the problem, the time he was spending with Evelyn.

It apparently hadn't occurred to him because he shook his head. "I don't think so. I always asked Sarah to come with me if she could but she always had a class or a study group. Sitting with Evelyn was just a fluke the first time because Ann invited her to come if she had some time."

"And that would explain why I saw you sitting together at that first meet."

Hank nodded. "She was sitting by herself and I think that if she'd known the Walker's better she would have sat with them. I got there early and saw her and decided to sit with her so she wouldn't feel so out of place."

Danny took a pull on his own bottle. "Did Sarah find out?"

"There was nothing to find out Dan because I told her about it when I took her out to dinner that night. There was nothing to it and I didn't try to make it appear otherwise." He stated without any defensiveness. "It's true that I've been spending some time with Evelyn, even before Ann's meets began but we've never been in a situation that could be misinterpreted and I've never kept it a secret from Sarah." And it suddenly seemed to dawn on him what Danny was getting at. "Oh, jeez."

"This might sound odd, but the fact that you've been so honest with her seems to have led her to the conclusion that there must be something going on." He surmised.

"But if I'd kept anything from her, even though there was nothing to hide she would have come to the same conclusion." He added. "How it the hell do I fix this if anything I say now is suspect?"

"That would explain why Sarah's been giving Evelyn the cold shoulder today, she's jealous."

"Jealous of what? Evelyn isn't any more interested in me than I am in her and Sarah should know that by now."

Danny shouldn't have laughed when he did but he couldn't help it. Evelyn Ahern was going to rue the day that she accepted her transfer to Hawaii and might just wish that she could go back to Colorado. He couldn't say as he would blame her.

"I don't find this very funny McCawley and I don't know why _you_ find it so humorous." Hank's use of Danny's last name again told him just how frustrated his friend was and he wiped the smile off of his face.

"I'm sorry for laughing Hank. It's just that it's so ironic that Evelyn is stuck, yet again in the middle of our love lives. She's going to start begging for a transfer back to Colorado just to get away from us."

He didn't seem to take the bait. "No she wouldn't, she loves it here too much."

__

Should he ask? "Would _you_ have anything to do with that?"

Hank stood up suddenly and Danny had never seen him so angry. "I should flatten you for even suggesting that." And he yanked the screen door open and walked into the house. From the back window he watched as his friend stomped through the living room and out the front door. He hit a nerve, of that he was sure.

The screen door opened again slowly and Danny looked over to see Ann standing there. She looked puzzled and curious and he thought she'd never looked prettier.

He was beginning to notice that Ann preferred dresses that were simple, usually sleeveless and always stopped just above her knees. Caroline always seemed to try and make a splash with what she wore to get attention but Ann seemed to wear what made her comfortable. "What was _that_ all about?"

"His relationship with Sarah. I finally got him to stop being such a clam and found out some things. If you can break away from this crowd for about ten minutes I'll tell you about it and it'll give me a chance to give you your graduation present."

"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't get me anything." She admonished him.

"This is something I had before you made me agree to that." He grinned and took her hand. "Have I told you yet how pretty I think you look today?"

She smiled back at him. "You just did."

He followed her back into the house and they located her parents, talking to his grandparents and hers by the front door. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to take Ann for a short walk." Danny asked her father.

He looked at his watch and then back at Danny before he nodded. "Don't be long."

"We won't Sir." And he walked her out of the house and down to the beach.

"So don't keep me in suspense." Ann said when they'd reached the sand and she took her shoes off. "You've been a clam yourself since we left my house."

__

The pin could wait a little while longer.

"The reason things might be stalling is that Sarah seems to think that there's something going on between Hank and Evelyn. He was straightforward with me about it and said nothing is and I believe him. But when I joked with him about Evelyn he didn't take it too well."

"What did you say?"

"I said that it was ironic that she seemed to be in the middle of our love lives again and that she was going to beg for a transfer back to Colorado." He told her.

"And that's what got him so upset? That's not like him." She looked concerned.

"It wasn't that exactly. He told me that she wouldn't request a transfer because she loved it here too much and when I asked if he had anything to do with that he blew a gasket."

"What did he say?"

"His exact words were, 'I should flatten you for even suggesting that'." He repeated. "I hit a nerve Ann and didn't mean to. But I think I know now why things might not be working with Hank and my sister."

She seemed to understand his meaning. "Do you think that he's looking at Evelyn differently?"

Danny nodded. "I think he might be and he doesn't want to see it. He's a loyal guy and if he is feeling something for Evelyn he sees it as a betrayal of Sarah."

"It seems as though _she_ sees it that way too even though there hasn't been anything of the sort. What an awful mess." She sighed. "Evelyn is too nice to have this happening to her."

"And Sarah is too level headed to be thinking that way." He added. "If she can't give him the benefit of the doubt their relationship is going to stall for good."

"Is there anything we can do?"

He shook his head as he took her free hand and walked with her down toward the water. "I'm afraid not. This is something that they have to work out between themselves, just like we did."

"We had a little help Danny, or have you forgotten?" Ann smiled at him.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Smart aleck. Of course I haven't forgotten, it was Evelyn."

"Maybe she could do the same for them." She suggested.

"That's a big negative. If Sarah is sensing that Hank's feelings for her might be changing, throwing Evelyn into the mix will only make things worse."

"But."

"Ann, the reason it worked with us is the simple fact that my feelings for you were never in any danger of changing and Evelyn knew that. Having her try to talk to Sarah the way she did with you will only make it look like Hank put her up to it. See?"

The look on her face was of absolute frustration. "This isn't fair. They're three wonderful people and this situation isn't right."

"Affirmative, but that's the way it is and we need to stay out of it."

She smiled again. "What's with the negatives and affirmatives? I've never heard you use your military jargon before."

"I am a pilot after all, or have you forgotten?" He smiled back at her.

"What a thing to say, of course I haven't forgotten. Or have _you_ forgotten that I was there when you came home yesterday?"

"I haven't forgotten because it was, by far the nicest part." He said as he leaned over and kissed her. His hands knew exactly where they wanted to go and settled into the low curve of her back. He felt her arms wind around his neck and her shoes bumped between his shoulder blades as she kissed him back.

He heard them hit the sand after she dropped them a moment later and then felt her hands in his hair. He liked that almost as much as the feel of her hands on his back and his own hands began to caress her. He wasn't fully aware that he picked her up bodily from the sand to hold her closer which consequently brought all of her soft curves into contact with his own solid form.

__

We were two young people startin' our lives together and wonderin' if we were sinnin' because we loved each other so much.

She let out a sigh that made his heart skip a beat and his grandfather's words from that morning came back to him. Without breaking the kiss, he set her back down on the sand and when he finally let her go her face was flushed in a way he'd never seen before. "I wish you weren't so honorable sometimes."

"I sometimes wish you wouldn't work so hard at _keeping_ me honorable." He cleared his throat and felt goose pimples travel up his arms at the sound of her husky voice. "We're asking for trouble Annie."

"That happens every time you kiss me, I thought we agreed on that already." She smiled at him and it seemed to light up her eyes.

"If you wouldn't kiss me back as nicely as you do, it might not be so hard to let you go."

"I can fix that you know." She laughed as he pulled her back against him and hugged her.

"But you wouldn't." He challenged. "You enjoy it as much as I do."

He felt her nod and smiled to himself. She was becoming surer of herself the better that they got to know each other, but there were some things that she was still too shy to say.

"There _is_ something I would enjoy even more." She whispered in his ear and he retracted his previous thought.

"That wasn't the graduation present I had in mind." He whispered back. "But it's a nice thought anyway."

"Maybe we can save it for my birthday." And she began to laugh.

__

She was a vixen.

"I think your dad would have something to say about that."

"But I'll be eighteen and he can't say anything." She mused.

"Ann." Danny admonished her gently. It was hard enough not to be close to her in the way he wanted and she wasn't helping.

He felt her nod again. "I know. We still wouldn't do it because we made a promise to our parents but it doesn't make it any easier."

__

The opportunity finally presented itself.

"You're right, but I have something for you that might help." He kissed her cheek and let her go. He reached into his back pocket and felt for the flat box that held his Academy pin. He pulled it out and the look on her face made him smile.

She looked disappointed and tried to hide it.

"It's always been a tradition at the Academies that a guy will give his pin to a girl that he considers someone pretty special. The pin is a sign of the commitment we made to the Air Force and the idea is that if you consider me worth wearing it, then it belongs to you."

"You consider me special enough to let me wear this?" She looked at him with surprise as he opened it and her face began to turn a pretty shade of pink.

He took the pin out of the box and unclasped it. "I consider you special enough to _have _it."

"In that case, I would be honored to have it and wear it." She watched him as he carefully pinned it over her heart and closed the clasp. She brushed a finger over the small pin and smiled. "It's a beautiful pin Danny."

He handed the box to her. "Not nearly as beautiful as the girl who's wearing it."

She leaned up and kissed him. "You always know what to say."

Danny glanced at his watch. "And what I say now is that it's time to get back to your parents. Your dad is going to start wearing a path on the porch if I don't get you home."

Ann picked up her shoes and Danny took her hand as they trudged back up the beach. "Does this mean that I get to see your quarters now?"


	29. What To Do About Hank And Sarah

She looked at the pin on her blouse for what seemed the hundredth time and smiled.

It wasn't the same thing as an engagement ring, but that would have been a little premature seeing as how Ann wasn't exactly sure how Danny felt about her. She knew he cared deeply, of that she had no doubt because he let her know in so many different ways.

Whether it was dinner and a movie or a walk on the beach, her hand was rarely out of his grasp and if it was she was never far from his side. There wasn't anything that he didn't tell her or that he didn't want her to see and she became a familiar sight at the base, not as Major Walker's daughter but as Lieutenant McCawley's girlfriend.

Since Hank stormed out of her parents house on graduation day a week ago he and Danny still went on their daily runs, but he wasn't talking. She knew Danny felt badly for making Hank angry, but if he and Sarah weren't meant to be together, he needed to face up to that.

Danny was right when he said having Evelyn talk to Sarah would make things worse so she decided to talk to her friend and get her side of things. If she and Danny had a better picture of things maybe they could help after all.

She asked Sarah to meet her at their favorite spot on the beach and when she seemed to hesitate Ann wasn't sure why, but she showed up anyway.

She turned her attention back to a book she'd brought with her while she waited.

"Ann?"

She looked up to see Sarah standing in front of her and not looking too happy. "I'm glad you could make it. Why don't you have a seat?"

Sarah shook her head. "I can't stay too long. Final exams start tomorrow and I need to study."

She had changed in the last few months and Ann missed her friend's bubbly personality. She'd become so serious and Ann knew that she'd been under a lot of pressure during her final semester. That might be why she was seeing something that wasn't there and as Sarah's friend she wanted to help, if she could. "We haven't spent a lot of time together since Christmas and I was just wondering how you were doing."

"I'm fine, just really busy." Her answer was clipped.

"I understand. My last semester at Pearl High was busy too." Sarah's silence was uncharacteristic and as she put her book down Ann tried not to sigh.

"I see that Danny gave you his pin." She finally commented and her tone was flat. "I heard him talking to Dad about it."

She nodded with a smile and decided to dive in. "Last Saturday after I graduated. He brought me down here to give it to me and to talk about the situation between you and Hank."

"It's none of your business."

"You're right, it isn't. But we've always talked to each other about everything and you were the one who kept trying to push Danny and me together. And that wasn't really your call to make."

Sarah nodded. "That's true, but I wanted my brother to have a chance with someone who didn't treat him the way Caroline did and you fit the bill."

"You didn't like the way she treated Danny, so why are you treating Hank the way _you_ are? He's hurt and confused because he feels that something has changed and he doesn't know why. What's changed so much that you're pushing him away?"

"You don't see it because you're too close." Was all she would say.

"Too close to what?"

"Ever since she came here, things have changed. Hank's been distracted and she's been monopolizing your time." Sarah told her.

__

Evelyn.

"Maybe he seems more distracted because ever since she got here you've been distancing yourself from him." She said gently, hoping that Sarah wouldn't take it as an accusation. "Could it be that you feel threatened by her because she's someone Hank knew before he met you? And just maybe you're giving yourself an out to break up with him before you think he's going to break up with you?"

It was then that Sarah sat down next to her. "She's moved into the lives of two people that mean a lot to me and it seems as though you've chosen her over me."

Ann took the older girl's hand to try and reassure her. "I haven't chosen her over you Sarah, any more than Hank has. She didn't know anyone except for Hank and Danny when she got here and _we_ only got to know each other because we started to talk."

"Danny put her up to it."

"He did and I'm _glad_ he did. I saw something that wasn't there and to hear it from her helped me to see that I was reacting over nothing." She replied honestly. "And along the way I made another friend."

"Hank put you up to this, didn't he?" Sarah frowned at her.

She shook her head. "No one put me up to this. I just don't like seeing either of you unhappy and Evelyn's stuck in the middle of a situation that she shouldn't be in."

"She's so pretty, and so nice."

"And so are you, whether you believe it or not. Hank cares a lot about you and I know you feel the same about him."

"That's what scares me. I care for him a lot and I know that he cares for me but it's not in the same way that he cares for her." Sarah admitted and looked as though she were going to cry.

__

Could Danny have been right?

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he lights up like a Christmas tree when ever he sees her and I don't think that he realizes it. She does too and I don't think she realizes it either. They have a way of talking to each other that _we_ don't and he seems so much more comfortable with her than me."

"That comfort probably comes from the fact that they don't have any expectations of each other. Evelyn has made it more than clear that she isn't interested in dating a military man and Hank knows that. He cares what you think and I would imagine that he doesn't want you to think badly of him."

"But if he doesn't feel that he can be himself with me, then what have we got?"

Sarah was right and it meant that she and Hank _had_ to talk to each other. He needed to know what it was that she was feeling and she needed to know if they could weather this together.

"You don't have much if you don't talk." She pointed out quietly. "The one thing Danny and I always do is talk and it keeps misunderstandings from getting blown out of proportion. Sometimes he tells me more than I want to know but it's only because he doesn't want to keep anything from me. And from what Danny told me yesterday Hank has been up front with you about everything."

"He has." She seemed reluctant to admit it.

"Then I think you need to be just as up front with him about what it is you're feeling about him and about the situation with Evelyn. He has the right to know."

"He does."

"He does what?" Hank's voice got Ann to look up and she had never seen him look so tense. She could see that he and Danny were out for their afternoon run and both men looked a little winded. "What do I have the right to know?"

Danny held out his hand to her and she picked up her book and stood up. "Why don't you take my seat Hank? I think I'll take Danny for a walk so he can cool off."

Sarah looked at her as though she'd been set up and wasn't happy about it. "This was _your_ idea."

"It was just a crazy coincidence. Talk to him Sarah, you need to clear the air and it would be better if you did it sooner rather than later." And she took Danny's hand.

"Then you need to stay." Sarah insisted. "You may not have deliberately set this up but since you and my brother are here you can referee."

"Sarah, this is between you and Hank." Danny told her.

"Says the guy who wanted me to spill my guts yesterday." Hank stated with a frown and continued to stand where he was.

"This comes from a guy who wanted every detail of my relationship with Ann and wouldn't clam up until I gave him something." He countered. "Now sit down next to my sister and start talking, the both of you."

Hank glanced at Sarah and sat down next to her. Neither seemed to be willing to start the conversation and Ann looked up at Danny, imploring him to do something and he nodded. "Hank, how do you feel about Sarah?"

"I like her a lot." He was straightforward in his answer.

"Is there anything more to it than that?" Danny continued.

"What are you getting at Dan?"

"It's a simple question." He didn't budge.

Hank looked at Sarah. "I don't know."

He nodded. "Fair enough. You haven't known each other very long and you're still getting to know each other, that's what dating is for. Sarah, how do you feel about Hank?"

"I like him a lot." She repeated his answer.

"Is there anything more to it than that?"

"I don't know." And she glanced at Hank.

"All right, that's a place to start. I guess my next question would be how long do you think it might take for you to figure out if there could be?"

"Not everyone figures things out as fast as you and Ann did." Sarah frowned as well.

"You seem to forget that Ann wasn't part of the mix for awhile, I had to deal with Caroline first." He reminded his sister.

"And you sure took your sweet time about that, McCawley." Hank reminded him and Ann couldn't help but notice that he used Danny's last name instead of calling him Dan.

"That's true. But once I did and once I realized that my feelings for Ann were changing I didn't waste any time in finding out how she felt about me." And he smiled at her.

"Annie?" Sarah looked at her to determine if her brother was exaggerating.

"He didn't waste any time." Hank answered for her. "Dan and I had more than one conversation about it and it seemed that his heart always overruled his head when it came to using his common sense."

She sensed it from the start because his behavior wasn't what she was used to and now she knew why.

"Did you ever have conversations like that with him?" Sarah asked and seemed to brace herself for the answer.

Hank's shoulders slumped forward and he glanced at her. "No. Whenever he asked I always put him off and would tell him that we needed to take care of his situation first."

A weight seemed to settle over the group and Ann knew that something monumentally bad just happened. Danny seemed to realize it too.

"So what do you want to do now?" He asked them.

Sarah looked at the dejected Hank and put her hand on his arm. "I think that you've been lying to yourself about Evelyn because I do think that you're feeling something for her. It's only right that you have the chance to explore that and find out if there's anything to it." And she stood up. "I won't play second fiddle to someone because of some misguided sense of loyalty you may feel for me. So I'm letting you go so that you can figure out what it is that you feel for me or for her." And without another word she turned up the beach and started to walk away.

Hank stood up and called to her. "That's not fair! You make a decision like that and then just try and walk away? Don't I have any say in this?"

She stopped and turned around. "Tell me that it doesn't mean anything when you run into her at the beach or around the base. Tell me that when you see me, you feel the same way." His hesitation seemed to confirm her fears. "Tell me that if you kissed her it wouldn't mean more than when you kiss me."

"I've never touched her Sarah and she's made it clear as crystal that she doesn't have any interest in me. What more do I have to say?" His frustration was evident and Ann knew that there wasn't anything she could do to help.

"That's not the point. Feelings change Hank, just look at Danny and Ann. It took him going away to school to get him to see her differently and if you'd asked either one of them a year ago if their feelings for each other could change they would have denied it."

"So I'm being punished for something that hasn't happened."

"It hasn't happened because we're still together. If you don't have that to worry about then you don't have to feel guilty if something _does_ happen." She sounded so reasonable and Ann wondered if she hadn't been thinking about it for a long while.

"So that's it? I don't have anything to say about this?" He asked her and it sounded as though he were about to lose his composure.

"You can say goodbye." She answered him quietly, turned back around and walked away.

"This is _your_ fault McCawley." Hank said without turning around to face Danny. "If you had just left well enough alone we would have figured it out."

"What you _would _have done is become more unhappy because the both of you would have continued to refuse to talk things out." He countered. "You weren't doing much of that until today and it seems to me that Sarah's done a lot of thinking about this."

"Then why didn't she tell me about it before today?" Hank asked, but still kept his back to them.

"I don't know Hank. Maybe she felt she couldn't, or wasn't ready to." Danny offered. "Maybe she's willing to see what might be there between Evelyn and you even if you're not."

"That's the second time you've brought it up and I wish you'd let it go. You know how she feels about guys in the service and here you are trying to push us together."

"I'm not trying to do that and you know it. We went through four years of the Academy together and you're the best friend I've ever had. I love my sister and want her to be happy but it was becoming pretty obvious that there was something missing with you two but it wasn't my place to say anything. I was hoping that it was just a matter of adjustment."

Hank finally turned around and looked at Ann. "What do you think about all this?"

"It sounds to me as though she put a lot of thought into everything she said. I think she also sees that it might not be meant for two of you to be together, but I don't think she believes it's specifically because of Evelyn. If Evelyn had never come here and things still weren't right with you, there would have been something else that brought her to her decision." She said honestly.

"Annie, are you happy? Do you know in your heart that you're with the right guy?"

She nodded. "I'm very happy and I do feel that I'm with the right man."

He cracked a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "That would make sense since you're wearing his Academy pin."

"Did you ever consider giving your pin to Sarah?" Ann asked gingerly.

Hank shook his head. "I'm embarrassed to say it, but it never occurred to me."

"That's not something to be embarrassed about Hank. You know as well as I do that giving a girl our pin is a big deal and if you never thought to give it to Sarah there's a reason for that." He sounded so matter of fact about it and Ann couldn't help but feel bad for Sarah.

"I know."

"Are you going to be all right?" Danny asked.

"I need a beer." He said to no one in particular and started to walk.

Ann nudged Danny forward. "He shouldn't drink alone. If you're there with him he won't over do it."

"I think he needs some time alone to absorb all this." Danny looked a little doubtful.

"Yes he does, but not now. He's confused, he's hurt and I think that he's probably scared. If he _does_ have feelings for Evelyn and she doesn't want to get involved, he's leaving himself open to get hurt."

"Ann."

"Go. You're his best friend and you need to be a friend to him now." She insisted as she watched Hank walk up the beach and she'd never seen him so upset.

Danny kissed her cheek. "I'll keep an eye on him but we've got an early call and he knows that. I'll talk to you later." He followed his friend and Ann saw him put a hand on his shoulder.

She leaned over, picked up her blanket and shook it out as best she could with her free hand before she headed home.


	30. Hank's Dilemma

Danny was a little worried because his friend wasn't talking.

It wasn't like Hank to keep to himself and he could only figure that it was a result of the conversation they'd all had at the beach. His sister wasn't saying much either, but she seemed relieved and slowly began to return to her old self. The situation with Hank must have weighed more heavily on her mind than he thought and didn't like the fact that he'd missed it.

They sat together in their last briefing of the day, as they always did and two weeks after Sarah called things off with Hank they found out that they were being put back in to the rotation. Danny's stomach clenched as he heard the low murmurs of the rest of the squadron because he knew they were feeling as he did, nervous.

Hank glanced at him and Danny sighed.

They were told that they would be headed back to Okinawa in a week's time and between now and then they would be in the air getting ready. At the end of the briefing, the pilots stood at attention as their squadron commander departed and then the air seemed to go out of the room.

"We knew that there was a chance that this would happen when we went to the Academy." Hank said sensibly as he and Danny headed for the door.

"So why is it more difficult this time?" He asked his friend. "It seems that since we've been through it already it would be easier."

"You'd think so, but I think that since we _have_ been through it we know what to expect now."

"This is exactly why I didn't want to get involved with anyone after I broke up with Caroline." He frowned. "It was going to be hard enough knowing my family was back here worrying, I didn't want a girlfriend worrying too."

Hank grinned and it was the first time since Ann's graduation party that Danny had seen it. "It's a little late to be thinking about that now Dan. You made the decision to pursue her knowing that this would happen and now you have to deal with the fall out."

Danny nodded. "I know. We've already talked about this and I try not to keep her in the dark but you know as well as I do that there are some things that I can't tell her."

"Does she understand that?" Hank asked as they walked down the hall toward the outside door that would take them to the tarmac.

"Would you believe that we spent part of our first date talking about it?" He smiled as his friend laughed.

"Only you would talk shop on a date."

Danny shook his head. "Only with Ann. Caroline never wanted any part of it and I think that's the biggest reason that we weren't suited for each other."

"That and the fact that she hates anything having to do with the service." He smiled.

"That too. But at least Evelyn doesn't." Danny was cautious in his comment, but he was curious how Hank would respond. "She wouldn't be working on a military base if she did."

"If you want to ask me something Dan, just ask." Hank seemed annoyed by the remark more than angry. "I would never have taken you for a matchmaker."

"I'm not matchmaking; I'm just making a comment." He replied, not fully convinced that he _wasn't _doing exactly that. "But since you brought it up."

He laughed as Hank sighed. "Oh jeez."

"Seriously though, I'm really not." He assured his friend as they walked outside and then seemingly out of nowhere Evelyn appeared, nearly running into Hank.

"Could this day get any worse?" He groaned in frustration.

"Gee, such a warm welcome Henry. Thank you so much." Evelyn's voice was heavy with sarcasm as she struggled to keep the stack of files in her arms from spilling all of its contents. "I wonder what kind of a hello I would have gotten if you were in a _bad_ mood?"

"Come on Ev, you know that it wasn't personal." Hank reached for the folders that began to slip out her grasp and fall to the ground. Paper work began to scatter and the three friends scrambled to retrieve the fluttering papers before a gust of wind could carry them away. It didn't help matters that a back draft was being created by a flight of jets taking off nearby.

"I don't know any such thing." She frowned as she grabbed the loose paper from Hank's hands and jammed them between the folders. "And look at this mess! I was supposed to be going over all of this information with the Wing commander and now I'll look as though I came unprepared."

"Well the least Hank can do is buy you dinner when your meeting is over." Danny tried not to laugh because he'd never seen Evelyn so discomposed and he couldn't help but wonder if his friend was responsible.

"Don't think you're getting out of this Dan. If you said something to upset him then this mess is just as much your fault, if not more. If anyone should be buying dinner it should be _you_."

"I don't think Annie would like that too much Ev." Hank's mood seemed to improve because Evelyn's ire was turned on him. "So you better not tell her Dan."

"Why don't you walk her to the commander's office and help her explain the situation? He might not be so hard on Evelyn if you're there to back her up." Danny suggested without motive.

"No!" They both answered in a panicked unison.

"It's not necessary because I'll tell him the truth." Evelyn stepped away from them and toward the door. "I'll tell him that I ran into a couple of cocky pilots. He would believe it, this is an Air Force base for crying out loud!" She added as she yanked the door open, walked inside and the door closed behind her.

"Did you hear what she said?" Hank stared at the closed door. "I've never heard her say anything so impolite."

"Why wouldn't you walk with her? The commander's office isn't that far and she probably could have used some back up." Danny watched him as his shoulders hunched forward.

"She said it wasn't necessary, or weren't you listening?"

"I heard what she said and you haven't answered my question." He was beginning to wonder how deep Hank's feeling for Evelyn might really be and how she felt about him.

"She could be dangerous." His voice was so soft that Danny wondered if he was meant to hear it. "A girl like her could take a guy's mind off of his job."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing Hank." He answered just as quietly as he put a hand on his friend's tense shoulder. "We get too caught up in our job sometimes and forget that there's something else out there besides the Air Force. Ann forced me to see that and maybe Evelyn can help you see that too."

"It's a moot point because you know her rule." Hank reminded him.

"I know. But if you think you might be interested in pursuing something with her, you'll just have to convince her that she needs to amend that rule for you." Danny said sensibly. "It doesn't make any sense to me that if two people enjoy each other's company that they shouldn't do something about it."

Hank turned around and his hands were shoved into the pockets of his flight jacket. "You _are_ matchmaking."

It came out as a statement, more than an accusation.

He shook his head. "Not purposely. I was all for you and my sister because I initially thought that you made a good match, but it didn't take long for me to see something was missing. Call it a spark if you want to, but where I didn't see that with you and Sarah I _do _see that with you and Evelyn. And what makes it even more interesting is that the both of you seemed bound and determined to ignore it."

"You just got done telling me that you didn't want a girlfriend after you broke up with Caroline because of the situation we're in. And now after Sarah's broken things off with me, you think I should turn around and start something with another girl?" He sounded almost incredulous.

"I'm not just talking about any girl Hank; I'm talking about Evelyn." He emphasized. "And as much as I didn't want another girlfriend, my heart didn't give me much of a choice."

"Are you sorry?"

"Not for a second. She understands how this whole thing works and while I might have worried with another girl, I don't with her. We're both Air Force brats and we know what it is to have someone leave and worry that they might not come home."

"Evelyn doesn't know what that is Dan, at least _Sarah_ did. If I did decide to try and persuade her to give me a chance how fair would it be to have to leave her and maybe not come back?" He asked and Danny sensed that it wasn't the first time it crossed his mind. "Dan, do you know why she has that rule about not dating guys in the service?"

He shook his head. "I don't think she ever explained it to me."

"Her mother lost someone she'd fallen in love with at Pearl Harbor. She told me that her mother might never have gotten over it if she hadn't met Ev's father. Her mother only mentioned it once but it had a real effect on her. "

"Was her Dad in the service?" For some reason Danny always thought that Mr. Ahern had been a 4-F.

"He was in the Navy but he was stateside during the war. Ev said he was really disappointed that he was land locked because he wanted to serve on a ship."

__

The situation with those two was becoming more and more interesting.

"So how did you find this out?" He smiled but his friend didn't seem to notice.

"When we started to sit together at Ann's swim meets; we would talk about different things while we waited for her and one afternoon she told me about that."

"You really should take her out Hank." And when he began to object Danny held up his hand to quiet him. "But because we know she won't go for that, just keep things casual. You've been friends long enough, so it wouldn't be unusual to ask her if she wanted to meet you at the commissary for lunch. Or better yet accidentally run into her when you know she's going to be eating there and sit together."

"Ev isn't stupid Dan, she'd know a set up when she saw it." He frowned and it deepened because Danny was smiling at him.

"I've never heard you call her Ev before and in the course of the last ten minutes you seem to have gotten very comfortable saying it."

It didn't seem to occur to Hank that he'd said it because his ears turned red and Danny knew he'd unwittingly embarrassed him. "So everything that I do or say from now on when it concerns Evelyn is going to be ammunition for you to use against me?"

"How about if we pretend I never said anything? She's obviously a sore spot and I don't want to make it worse. All right?" He was going to have to tread lightly from now on because he'd pushed his good natured ribbing too far and knew if he kept it up he could lose a good friend.

Hank stuck his hand out and Danny took it. "After all the ribbing that you've had to put up with from me it's only fair that I get some of it back."

"We'll call it even then." He nodded his agreement. "So what's on your agenda for the evening?"

His friend shrugged his shoulders. "I hadn't given it too much thought, with Sarah out of the picture my evenings are pretty wide open. What about you?"

"I hadn't given it much thought either. Ann left for Ohio a few days ago to visit her grandparents for a couple of weeks and I'll probably be gone when she gets back."

"That's rough."

He sighed in resignation. "We knew it could happen but I still wanted her to go. She and Shelby and Tom don't usually get back there more than once a year and I didn't want her to miss seeing her grandparents on account of me."

"Shouldn't have that been her decision?" Hank couldn't seem to help but smile.

"We decided it together smart-ass." He grinned back. "Besides, I promised that I would let her know when we'd been put back in the rotation so she would know for certain that I'd be gone when she got home."

"And maybe give her the choice of coming home early?" His smile turned into a grin.

"That will be up to her." Danny told him and felt his neck warm because it was certainly something that he wouldn't mind. He had to admit though that saying goodbye to her would be a lot tougher than having her welcome him home.

"Tell me what's going on inside that brain of yours Dan." He heard the sudden concern in his friend's voice.

"Pre-mission jitters." He tossed off. "And it doesn't help that Ann isn't here."

"Come on Dan, tell me." Hank insisted.

"I didn't have them the first time we flew out because I didn't know exactly what in the hell we were going to be flying in to. But now that we've been through it and found out that even as well trained as we are it's still not enough I've got the jitters."

"Do you have those jitters because you think that you might not come home?" He looked worried.

Danny shook his head. "No, nothing like that because if I thought that way I'd never be able to get into the air. It's odd because you'd think that jitters would have been the norm for our first mission, not our second."

"She'll be here when we get back, if that helps." Hank said and smiled again. "Then you'll get a nice welcome home like you did this last time."

"Our parents were sure surprised by that." He grinned with embarrassment. "I didn't think about it until later that I probably shouldn't have kissed her the way I did. I know she didn't mind but I'm sure about our folks."

"If anyone would understand about homecomings Dan, it would be them. They've had more than their fair share over the years."

"I know but I think it's a little different when it's your son and your daughter." He reasoned.

"You've got a point about that. But you said yourself that Ann's parent's went through the whole war without really telling anyone that they were seeing each other, even though all of their friends knew it. They had their reasons I guess."

Danny laughed. "With our families we didn't have a choice. But you are right though about our not keeping things under wraps and that was because we didn't want to."

"If I ask you something, will you give me a straight answer and not be a smart-ass about it?" Hank grew serious again and Danny nodded. "What do you think about Evelyn?"

"I don't follow."

"I still have a hard time admitting this, even to myself but she's been on my mind in the last few months. Maybe one of the reasons that things didn't work for Sarah and me was the fact that she is such a part of the military. Her father was a combat pilot in two different wars and her brother is a combat pilot in this one _and_ a graduate of a military academy. She lives on a military base and has never known anything but this way of life. Evelyn grew up in a civilian life, like I did and she knows a different way to live than Sarah did. She works here but she lives off base. She separates the two parts of her life for her own sake and has made a hard and fast rule about mixing the two."

He wasn't sure what Hank was getting at. "You're babbling Henry, so take a deep breath and just ask me whatever it is that you want to ask."

He seemed to shake himself mentally and did as Danny advised and took a deep breath. "Do you think Evelyn is worth my going out on a limb for?"

Danny wasn't trying to be uncooperative, but it seemed to him that Hank just answered his own question. "Do _you_ think she's worth going out on a limb for?"

"That wasn't what I asked!" Hank was irritated and Danny knew it.

"I know but it seems to me that the fact you're asking tells me that you already think she is. And if it's how you really feel, you have to figure out how to persuade Evelyn to change that rule for you. Who knows, she might think that you're worth it too and isn't sure where you stand."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Well then I think it's time you do. You just gave me a laundry list of reasons why things didn't work with you and my sister. Maybe you need to draw up another laundry list of reasons why things _could_ work with you and Evelyn, don't you think?" He asked sensibly.

"I don't want to be wrong about her Dan." He sighed.

"No guy ever wants to be wrong. But you'll never know for sure until you give it a shot and it seems to me that you think she's worth it." He reinforced his point as the topic of their conversation came through the door.

"Why are you still here?" She glared at Hank as she gripped the folders in front of her. "Thanks to you Commander Allen let me know in no uncertain terms that he didn't appreciate my sloppy presentation and told me to return to his office first thing in the morning with everything in order."

"I'm sorry about that Ev."

Her face flushed and Danny couldn't be sure, but it seemed that she was finally registering the fact that Hank was being familiar with her name. "Don't call me that Henry, you haven't earned the right." And she walked away.

"Evelyn, don't be like that." He called after her.

She spun around. "You're just as cocky as you always were and frankly the charm of it has worn off."

"Then give me the chance to show you that I'm not." He blurted out and Danny tried to hide his grin. "I _am_ partly to blame for those folders being such a mess. Let me help you set things to rights so you'll be ready for Commander Allen tomorrow."

"I don't need your help."

He smiled and Evelyn's face turned a deeper shade of red. "From the look of things, I think you do. Why don't you meet me at the Black Cat for dinner and we'll get a booth. The table will be big enough so we can organize everything and get those folders back in order."

She stood silently and Danny could see that she was fighting a battle with herself. He wasn't sure what she was going to do and she sighed. "Another pair of hands wouldn't hurt."

"So is that a yes?"

"Is this a date?" Evelyn asked and looked very wary.

He shook his head. "Absolutely not. Reorganizing folders isn't exactly high on my priority list of things to do on a date."

She looked unsure if she should accept his answer and Danny couldn't say as he blamed her. Hank seemed to have made the decision to jump in with both feet and he wasn't going to look back. "Just so you understand."

"I know Evelyn, no servicemen."

He thought she was going to balk because she didn't say anything else for a few moments and then she sighed again. Was it resignation? "All right. Give me a chance to go home so I can get out of my work clothes and into something more comfortable then I'll meet you there in a half-hour."

"That sounds like a plan. If I get there first do you want me to order anything to drink?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Order yourself what you like but since we'll be going Dutch Treat I'll order something when I get there."

__

The battle of wills was on.

It seemed as though Hank wanted to say something but couldn't quite get up the nerve, so he passed. "Well, seeing as how this isn't a date that would seem fair."

"A half-hour then." And she walked away.

"Don't say it Dan because I know what you're thinking." Hank stopped him before Danny said exactly what his friend suspected he wanted to say. "I'm only going to help her clear up a mess I helped create."

"One step at a time Hank." He smiled and clapped his friend on the shoulder as they walked toward the officer's parking lot. "One step at a time."


	31. Flying Out

Ann was on the next flight back to Oahu after she got Danny's telephone call to tell her that he was back in the rotation and on his way back to Okinawa. Her grandparents called her father and asked him to meet her at Honolulu International the following afternoon but instead of her father, Danny was there.

He was dressed in his khakis and his flight jacket as he waited for her at the gate. As she descended the stairs to the tarmac Ann couldn't tell if he was happy to see her or troubled that she'd cut her vacation to Ohio short. When she reached him he took her hands in his. "I didn't call you to get you to come home Ann, but I'm glad you're here."

"I wasn't sure if you'd be happy to see me or not." She admitted as he put an arm around her shoulders and walked her into the terminal. "But I was here when you left the last time and my grandparents understood that I wanted to be here when you flew out again. In fact, my grandmother insisted that I come back and she wanted me to tell you that you're in her prayers."

"I like your grandmother. And you can tell her the next time you talk to her that I appreciate it very much."

"I'll tell her." Ann promised him as she waited for her suitcase and when it finally appeared, Danny picked it up and took her hand as they headed out of the terminal and to his car. "So when will you be leaving?"

"Monday morning." He got right to the point. "We'll be flying until Friday afternoon and then get forty-eight hours leave before we take off."

"That doesn't give us a lot of time." She commented.

"Ann, it's only Tuesday afternoon." He made it sound as though they had all the time in the world. "We have five days before I have to leave and when I'm not in the air I'll be spending that time with you and my family."

"So how is it that you're here instead of Dad?" She smiled as he scanned the lot, presumably to look for his car.

"He said that you'd never admit it, but he knew that you would prefer seeing me here instead of him. So he asked if I would come get you and bring you home." He grinned back. "Is he right?"

Her smile grew wider. "What do _you_ think?"

"It's been over a week since I've seen you." He admitted as they reached his car and he put her suitcase down. "Would I embarrass you if I kissed you in the middle of a crowded parking lot?"

"Would I embarrass you if I _let _you?" She laughed and put her arms around his neck and held him close. It was becoming clearer to her now how her parent's must have felt all those years ago when they would have to say goodbye to each other not knowing if he would come back.

"How about we save it for later so I can welcome you home properly?" He asked, his voice almost a whisper. "I'll make it worth your while."

"I'm sure you will." And she tried to hold him closer so she would remember what he felt like in her arms and to have the feel of his arms around her.

"I'm still here Ann, so try not to spend these next few days worrying." Danny seemed to sense that her mood was beginning to change and tried to stop it from happening. "We've got five and a half days together so let's make the most of them, all right?"

"And where would you suggest we start first?" She leaned away from him but kept her arms around his neck.

He smiled and seemed relieved that she wasn't going to get upset. "We'll start with my getting you home and then we'll figure it out."

Once they got in the car, it didn't take Danny too long to negotiate his way out of the lot and they were on their way back to Wheeler. He showed his identification to the MP at the gate and was waived through. Her mother was waiting for her on the front porch when Danny pulled up to the front of the house and she waved.

"Go say hi and I'll get your suitcase." He offered and for which she rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek before she was out of the car.

"I just called your grandparents to let them know that your flight got in on time." Mama was smiling as she hugged Ann. "It's good to have you home honey."

"It's nice to be home." She hugged her mother back. "I always appreciate this place more when I've been away."

"I imagine that's why it's called Paradise." Mama replied before she let Ann go. "Thank you for going to pick her up Danny, her dad and I sure do appreciate it."

"It was no trouble Ma'am." She heard Danny's voice close behind her as he set her suitcase down. "I was happy to do it."

"We were planning on barbecuing later if you'd like to join us. Your parents will be here and I thought that if you wanted to invite Hank he'd be more than welcome. Danny always cooks more than we need and an extra mouth to feed would really help."

"Thank you Mrs. Walker, I'll ask him."

"And perhaps you'd like to invite Evelyn as well. She and Hank seem to get along together." She added.

Ann could almost feel Danny tense behind her. Something was going on with Hank and Evelyn, of that she was certain. He tried to talk to her about it before she went back to Ohio, but never got the chance. "The last time I talked to her she was planning on going back to Illinois to see her family. If I can get a hold of her though, I'll definitely ask."

"She doesn't seem to have a lot of friends and she's always gotten along with Ann and you." Mama commented.

"Evelyn tries to keep work separate from her personal life. She's always had a rule about that and I've never tried to change her mind." Danny tried to explain. "She probably has a circle of friends that we don't know about because they're non-military."

"I hadn't thought about that. I think that when you've lived the life we have, you tend to forget that there is a different kind of life going on outside of this base."

"That's the truth. I've never lived anywhere, except my grandparent's that wasn't a military base or the Academy and I don't know that I would ever want to live a civilian life." He agreed.

"It's not all that bad." Mama said with a smile. "It's all just in what you're used to."

"Yes Ma'am." He smiled back and put a hand on Ann's shoulder. "I need to head back to the field. We've got one more flight for the day and then I'll be back later for some barbecue."

Ann nodded and he squeezed her shoulder and looked at her mother. "I'll talk to Hank when I get back to the field and see what he wants to do."

"That will be fine Danny. We'll see you later regardless." She told him before he turned and walked to his car. Ann picked up her suitcase and followed her mother into the house. "Ev and Rafe raised him right."

"You really like him don't you?"

Her mother looked surprised at her comment. "I've _always_ liked Danny. He was courteous and polite when he was growing up and the Academy put some polish on him. But I like him even more because he can put a smile on your face that no one else can."

She didn't know how to reply.

"It's all right honey." Mama seemed to understand as they walked back to Ann's room. "It's hard to put your feelings for someone into words when you're still getting used to them. Even after Dad and I were married it took me a long time being comfortable with telling him, or anyone else for that matter how I felt about him. We were raised in a time when you didn't talk about things like feelings and emotions. But it doesn't mean that we didn't let each other know how we felt, we just did it through actions not words."

Ann couldn't help but laugh as she put her suitcase on the bed and opened it. "Danny is very good at that."

Mama's answering laugh was gentle as she sat down next to the open suitcase. "Most men in love are."

She must have looked as surprised as she felt that her mother would voice what she was too afraid to.

"Don't look so surprised Ann, I _do_ have eyes. And I suspect that he wouldn't have kissed you in front of his family and yours when he came home, if he wasn't. He may not be aware of it yet or he might be just as afraid as you are to admit it, even to himself. But he's got that same look in his eye that I saw with your dad all those years ago and still do."

"Mama!"

"Don't tell me that you aren't feeling just as strongly about him either. I've seen how your face lights up when you hear his voice or even the mention of his name. I saw how worried you were the first time Danny had to leave even though you tried to convince us that you were all right. I saw the way you held each other when he came home safe, as though you never wanted to let him go." She moved the suitcase out of the way and took Ann's hand and she sat down next to her mother. "Falling in love with someone is a frightening prospect because you don't want it to be just one sided. But from what I've observed, it's not something that you need to worry about. Just take it slow as you have been and give him the chance to get to know the real you. And take the time to get to know the real him as well."

"It just seems a little strange sometimes to be with someone I've known practically my whole life and I'm learning that I didn't really know him." She made an observation of her own.

"Of course you did, it's just that you knew him in a different way than you do now. And if it turns out that you make a life together, you'll get to know him in the most personal way possible."

"Mama!" Ann could feel her face burn with a flush and she pulled her hand out of her mother's grasp and stood up.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you honey, that wasn't my intention. But as well as I thought I knew your dad before we were married, I found out that I didn't know everything about him because we put that part of our relationship on hold." She seemed just as flustered as Ann. "There are so many facets to a good relationship and Dad and I have found so many of them already. I have the feeling that you and Danny will discover those facets in the coming years and keep finding out new things about each other."

"If he comes home." She sighed and sat down again before she looked at her mother. "I _had_ to come home. After he called and told me he would be flying out again, I just knew that I needed to be here when he did."

"Ann, it's never easy saying goodbye to someone you care about, especially knowing that they're going into harm's way. But you have to remember that he's been preparing for this since he came back and he's been well trained."

She nodded. "I know. I'm too young to remember what it was like when Dad had to fly out and I guess I was hoping that I wouldn't have to experience it at all."

Mama smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. "That's what we all hope for. Dad didn't like leaving any more than I liked saying goodbye to him, but being part of the military we always have to be prepared for situations like this. And after two wars, I must admit to being a little relieved that your father is part of a reconnaissance squadron. It doesn't mean that he won't be in danger of being shot down because sometimes _that _can be more dangerous than combat, as he was reluctant to tell me."

Ann didn't know how to explain a feeling she'd had for the last few days that intensified when she say Danny waiting for her at the gate. And while she felt the need to tell her mother, she didn't want her father to worry. "Mama, if I tell you something would you not tell Dad?"

She shook her head. "I can't make a promise like that. Dad and I have never kept secrets from each other and it's too late to start doing it now."

"Well then, would you not mention it if it doesn't come up in conversation?" She asked.

"Just tell me what it is Ann and I'll think about it."

"I didn't tell Granddad or Gram because I didn't want to worry them. But one of the reasons that I wanted to come home so much was that I had a dream about Danny." Ann started to explain.

"And I gather that this dream wasn't a pleasant one." She could see the look of concern on her mother's face.

Ann shook her head and sighed. "I know that you don't believe in dreams and I don't either, but this one was as real a dream as I've ever had."

"Something happened to Danny?" Mama's voice was low. "Something bad?"

She nodded as the tears begin to pool behind her eyes. The overwhelming fear she felt the night she woke out of a sound sleep with the sound of Taps echoing in her ears as Danny was laid to rest at Punchbowl Cemetery came back to her and the tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her mother didn't need to hear any more and her arms were around Ann as she allowed herself to do what she'd not at her grandparents, she cried. She held on to her mother as all the grief she'd held inside since that night she had the dream came out.

"Did you have this dream the night he called you?" The sound of her voice was reassuring and calm and all Ann could do was nod. "Not that I believe it's going to happen, but it _does_ makes sense that you would have a dream like that because it brought your deepest fear about Danny to the surface."

She nodded again.

"I think you need to tell him about it." Mama sighed. "We're always told not to burden the pilots with things such as that before they go out on a mission, but Danny seems to have a keen sense when it comes to you. Besides, it's not good to keep things like this from him. He's told you that he would be as honest with you as he was able when it came to what it was he had to do and I think you need to be just as honest with him in how you feel about it."

Ann sat up and her mother's arm stayed around her shoulder. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"If you wait for the right opportunity, it will present itself. Just trust in your feelings for Danny and his for you." She concluded before she stood up. "I'll let you unpack and get settled in. Why don't you take a shower and freshen up? And if you feel like you want to lay down for a little while, go ahead. We'll have the house to ourselves for another hour or so before Dad gets home."

"Mama, if we don't believe in dreams why did this one scare me so badly?" She wanted to know.

"Because it's an unpleasant reality of being a combat pilot. And it's probably been in the back of your mind since you and Danny started seeing each other." Mama reasoned. "We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't happen." And she was gone.

She was right of course.

All it was, was a dream and it didn't mean anything. Danny was well trained and already had one combat mission under his belt. Why would this one be any different?


	32. Back To Okinawa

A/N: Sorry about the delay with this chapter. My computer monitor decided to go on the fritz which necessitated buying a new one, but Danny and Ann are back now.

* * *

Danny was back in the rotation and due out in the morning. His squadron would head to Okinawa for briefings and then they would be given their assignment.

He ate breakfast with his family that Sunday morning the way he'd done ever since he returned from the Academy. The difference in recent weeks was that Hank didn't come with him anymore. Mama told him that it didn't make a difference to them if he came because he was Danny's friend before he was Sarah's beau and he shouldn't feel that he couldn't invite his friend to a home cooked meal. But as grateful as Hank was to the McCawley's for wanting to continue to include him, it was just too awkward a situation as he explained to Danny.

He understood and chose not to press the situation because Danny didn't want his sister to feel as though her feelings about having Hank there weren't important. It was nice to see her back to her old self and as much as he hated to admit it, ending things with Hank was the right decision. With her new degree from the University of Hawaii, Sarah accepted a job at Hickam with the Public Relations Department and began to do the same type of job that Evelyn was doing at Wheeler. Through Mama's friend Mrs. Dearborn, who's husband was a pilot at Hickam the family learned that Sarah was doing an exceptional job and was well liked by the people she worked with.

Sarah would never have said as much and Danny knew that Mama was grateful that her friend would pass along the information. Mrs. Dearborn also hinted that Sarah might have caught the eye of one of the pilots at the base. How Sarah regarded him seemed to be a military secret because not even Mrs. Dearborn could find that out.

It had been rough going for his sister because he knew how much she'd cared for Hank and it couldn't have been easy for her to face the fact that as much as they cared for each other, she and Hank just weren't suited for each other.

Evelyn, on the other hand was a much different story. Danny had to admit to himself that he'd missed the spark between them when they were all in Colorado, but he'd had a lot on his plate during those years and wasn't particularly observant about anything beyond school and flying.

What was going to happen with those two he didn't really know, but given how _he_ felt about Ann he didn't want his best friend to miss out on the same kind of opportunity with Evelyn. He also knew though, that it was up to her.

He'd gotten his brother and sister to help him clean up after breakfast so his parents could finish their coffee on the front porch. It was a beautiful morning and he thought that they should spend part of it together. When the last dish was dried and put away, his brother went back to his room to finish up a writing assignment for school. Joe decided before the end of his freshman year to take a couple of summer courses so that his class load would be lighter in the fall and he could take some time to enjoy his second year at the University of Hawaii.

Sarah left for Ann's. They were talking again and Danny knew that it was one of the reasons that his sister was back to her old self. They gabbed like any two sisters would and he was glad that they were regaining their close relationship.

As for him, he decided to stretch out on the back sofa. It seemed to be the spot to take a nap and Danny figured that he would need all the extra sleep he could get. If this mission were any thing like the first, they would constantly be on alert and he would never get a full night's sleep.

On his way out he heard his parents talking together and his mother laughed at something his father said. The deep baritone of Dad's answering laugh made him smile. It amazed him how much they were still like newlyweds sometimes and he couldn't help but wonder if he could have the same kind of a marriage. Of course theirs was something special and it wasn't something that could be duplicated. But he'd sure like to try.

He stretched out on the sofa and the soft cushions cradled him as he fell asleep without realizing it. He woke with a start when he suddenly felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and when he looked up, saw his father standing next to him. "Hi Dad."

"Hey there son, catchin' some Z's?" He asked with a smile.

Danny ran a hand through his hair and sat up. "If I didn't want to see Ann before I left I would probably spend the rest of the day sleeping."

"You _can _do both you know. Just sack out in your old room for awhile and get some rest before you go see her later." He sounded so sensible. "She _is_ only two houses away."

"I know Dad, but it's going to be awhile before I get to see her again."

Dad sat down next to him on the sofa and sighed. "This is always the hardest part about bein' a combat pilot, sayin' goodbye to the people that mean so much to you. And from what I saw after you came home the last time I'd say that Ann means a whole lot to you."

"She does."

"Do you love her?" The question shouldn't have startled him but it did. But Danny didn't know if it was because it came from his father or because he wasn't sure.

"I don't know." He answered honestly and sighed. "I feel like I should, but I really don't."

Dad smiled at him. "I think you do and you just ain't ready to admit it yet."

Danny couldn't help but smile back. "How do you figure that?"

"You didn't say no when I asked." He stated. "This whole thing between the two of you seemed to happen so suddenly and I can't help but wonder if it wasn't supposed to happen."

His father never seemed to Danny the type to believe in predestination. "Do you think that we're meant to be together?"

"I didn't say that." He seemed to get a little defensive. "Danny and I could have had our oldest be sons _or_ daughters, the way that Shelby and Sarah are both girls and Joe and Tom are both boys. You and Annie obviously didn't turn out that way and it does get a man to thinkin'. That's all I'm sayin'."

"What do you think of her Dad?"

"I think she's a very nice girl. She's got her mama's temperament, her daddy's looks and his mischievous streak from what I hear. She's been a good influence on you because she's gotten you to see that there is more to your life then flyin'. Your mama was able to do that with me and it's always a good thing when we can find someone special like her or Ann."

"Does it bother you that she's so young?"

Dad frowned and Danny wondered how his father interpreted the question; he found out quickly. "If you've done something with her that you shouldn't have, then it bothers me a lot."

"Nothing like that has happened because we promised you that it wouldn't." He answered and it was Danny's turn to sound defensive. "It's funny because with Caroline I never felt strongly enough about her to test any boundaries but with Ann, I can't seem to help it."

"Danny." He heard the warning tone in his father's voice.

"Nothing's happened." Danny repeated. "But to be honest it's really hard sometimes being honorable."

"I know it can't be easy for you and I know that you've got it comin' from both sides about how you proceed. We ain't doin' it to be contrary, we're doin' it because we love you both and want the best for you." Dad seemed to feel the need to explain.

"I know Dad and I'm sorry for getting defensive about this because I don't mean to. And I don't mean to sound as though I would put Ann in a situation I know is wrong because I wouldn't. But it doesn't mean that I haven't thought about it."

It surprised him when his father laughed and put an arm around his shoulders. "There ain't no harm in thinkin' about it son, that's what cold showers are for."

"Hey! You're as bad as Gramps!" Danny frowned and felt his neck begin to warm with a flush.

"You're a fine young man Danny and I know I don't need to tell you how proud Mama and I are of you. We also know that no matter how strong your feelings for Ann are, you wouldn't act on them no matter how much you might want to. She knows that too and that's what bein' honorable means."

"That's your fault you know." Danny grinned at his father. "If you and Mama hadn't set such a good example for us Ann wouldn't think I _was_ so honorable."

Dad smiled at him. "All the credit goes to your mama. We _were_ together before I left for China and never regretted it, but she laid out all the ground rules after that because there were times that she needed to keep me honorable too."

"Why? You were married."

"It doesn't matter. There is a time a place for things even when you're married; your mama taught me that." He answered in his matter of fact way. "And there is also a time and a place for things especially when you ain't married."

"Yes Sir."

His father sighed and shook his head. "I didn't mean to come out here to lecture you but it seems that's exactly what I've done."

"I know that Dad and I didn't take it as a lecture. The truth is, I don't think it matters how old we get because you and Mama will always be our parents. Even when we get married and have kids of our own, you'll still be our parents."

"And because we'll always be your parents, we're always goin' to worry about you." And he stood up. "You ain't goin' to be gettin' much sleep once you fly out so why don't you go ahead and sack out in your room. Mama and I will be headin' over to Hickam in a little while to see the Dearborn's and Joe's gettin' ready to go to the library so the house will be quiet for awhile."

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll stay out here. I like the sound of the wind through the palm fronds." Danny explained, though he knew he didn't need to.

"It _is_ a sound that helps you sleep all right." He answered in understanding and headed to the screen door. "If you get hungry later go ahead and make yourself a sandwich if you like because Barbara will probably be expectin' us to stay for lunch."

"Thanks Dad, I'll remember that." After his father walked into the house and the screen door squeaked as it closed, Danny stretched out again and promptly fell asleep.

He had no idea how long he slept when he was again wakened. But this time it was from a feather touch across his cheek and he knew before he opened his eyes that it was Ann. She was smiling at him.

"You do realize that there's no one home."

"I like that Miss Ann. _I'm_ home." He smiled at her.

"That's not exactly what I meant Lieutenant and you know it." She laughed and Danny wondered if Dad was right about his feelings for her.

"So what _did_ you mean?"

"I didn't mean anything, I was merely making an observation." She frowned and looked irritated.

"An observation that puts us in a situation that we shouldn't be." Danny commented as he sat up. "So let's get out of here. It's going to be awhile before I'll be able to take a Sunday afternoon walk with you again."

She sighed. "You would have to bring that up, wouldn't you?"

"I bring it up because it's inevitable. Tomorrow is going to come faster than I would like and I want to spend some of that time with you." He told her as he stood up, took her hand in his and squeezed it. "This was part of the package remember?"

"I know."

She stayed closer to him that late afternoon then she usually did as they took their walk around the base. Her grip on his hand was tight because he knew how scared she was. She was the daughter of a combat pilot and knew that it didn't help the man who was flying to know how frightened his loved ones were. They needed all of their concentration on the mission at hand and couldn't spare the worry.

He didn't know exactly how they ended up at his quarters because he hadn't mentioned it. They agreed after their first date that going to his quarters was out of the question and neither brought it up after that. So how it was that they ended up there, he didn't really know. Deep in his subconscious he must have wanted her there, even though it wasn't right but Ann seemed to take it in stride. "Since we're here, why don't you show me around?"

"Hank isn't home." He said as he stood in front of his door. "And since he isn't here, you don't go in there."

"Then leave your front door open. Isn't that the way it used to work? When a young man had a young lady in his apartment, which was risky enough, he left his door open so that nothing would happen." She recited.

Danny smiled at her prim manor. "You've been watching too many old movies."

She smiled back. "If this makes you too nervous I understand because we _did_ make an agreement. But on the other hand, neither one of us mentioned coming here and yet here we are."

"You're splitting hairs Ann."

"I know, so you need to make a decision. We either leave now and keep walking or since we're here you show me where you hang your hat."

She sounded so reasonable and Danny couldn't tell what she was thinking. Her face didn't flush nearly as much as it used to so it was harder for him to gauge what was on her mind. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to behave herself, but more that he didn't know if he could trust himself. It was one thing to see her at her parent's house or his. To have her in his personal quarters however felt a little too intimate and didn't know if he should let her in even though he was about to. "We don't need to tell our parent's about this." He stated needlessly as he put his key in the lock and opened the door.

He'd cleaned his quarters the morning before and spent the afternoon at his parent's house doing laundry. He didn't know when he'd be back and wanted everything in order so that he wouldn't have to deal with it when he came home.

It was compact as military accommodations went but it was enough for him. The kitchen was small and the dining area wasn't much larger. The living room was more spacious with enough room for a sofa, a coffee table and a couple of end tables and lamps. There was a large bookcase that was filled with books and some pictures of his family.

"You can tell that a bachelor lives here." Ann commented as she looked around.

"That's why these are called the _Bachelor_ Officer's Quarters. All the guys who live in these units are unmarried."

"Don't be smart Danny, you know I didn't mean it that way. Other than the pictures of your family there isn't a whole lot that makes these quarters _yours_."

"Mama's told me the same thing, so I'll tell you what I've told her. I'm gone more than I'm here because I'm either at their house or I'm at the field. And now that _we're_ seeing each other I'm at my parent's even more than I was before."

"You don't care, do you?"

He laughed. "Not really."

Danny saw her glance toward his bedroom door and as he worried she might, gravitated toward it. "You haven't shown me everything have you. Is this your bedroom?"

"Yes it is and it looks like every other bedroom in these places." He tried to waive her off but she seemed determined to get a look and opened the door. He couldn't tell what she was thinking as she stood in the doorway and looked around the small room.

There wasn't much to see though. It was standard issue with a double bed, a dresser and a small walk in closet. There was also a small bathroom just off the bedroom. He stood in the doorway as she toured the room, not saying a word and watched as she picked a picture up off the dresser of him as a baby asleep on his father's chest.

Mama took it one Sunday afternoon after Dad had come off of a long rotation. He'd fallen asleep on the back porch sofa after breakfast when he was supposed to be keeping an eye on his baby son. It was always one of her favorites and when he'd gone away to the Academy, she framed a copy for him.

She put it back down and then she noticed the picture of them at her Senior Prom on his nightstand. The picture was still in its cardboard folder because he hadn't found a frame he liked.

She continued her circuit as she peaked into his closet and then disappeared. He wasn't sure what she was doing so he left the safety of his bedroom doorway and reluctantly walked to the closet. He found her with her nose pressed against one of his shirts. "Ann, what are you doing?"

"Remembering what you smell like." She whispered and Danny could hear the tightness in her voice, which was a warning that she was going to cry. "I don't ever want to forget that."

He supposed that she held out as long as she could but with his imminent departure in the morning she couldn't any longer. He pried her fingers as gently as he could from his shirt and pulled her into his arms. Her own arms were a warm vice around his neck and the arms he had around her waist held her close. He felt her body shake as she cried and ran a comforting hand down her back. There were so many things that he could say to stop her from crying, but they were all platitudes. He could tell her that everything would be all right, but he didn't know that. He could tell her not to worry because he would be back soon, but he didn't know that either.

He could tell her that he loved her.

But that wasn't a platitude and he didn't want say it to her without being absolutely sure.

"Ann, you weren't upset when I left on my first mission and I came home fine." He kissed the wispy hair at her temple and sighed. "What's got you so upset now?"

She shook her head and tightened her hold around his neck and he kissed her cheek. "Please tell me. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

Her knees buckled and he held her against him with one arm so that he could get his other arm under her knees. He picked her up, walked with her to the foot of the bed and sat down with her in his lap. "Tell me." He urged and Ann's arms loosened as the tears subsided and she put her head down on his shoulder.

"I dreamed you died." Her voice was a soft whisper and Danny barely heard it. "You got shot down and you died."

That's why she was so squirrelly after she got home.

He didn't know what to say to her because he knew that it was a very real possibility every time he flew away from the safety of Wheeler. As pilots, they were often reminded that it could happen and it wasn't something that any of them took for granted.

It bothered him though that Ann was now having nightmares about it because he couldn't tell her that it was only a dream. "I wish there was something I could say to help, but I can't."

"I know. It was only a dream and I know that but it was so real." She seemed to feel the need to explain it to him.

He held her trembling body against his. "I can't promise you that it won't happen but I can promise that I'll do my best to come back in one piece."

"I know." And she looked up at him with puffy, red eyes.

She was such a pitiful sight and Danny's heart was breaking because she was scared and had every right to be. He shouldn't have done it and a small voice in the back of his mind chastised him for it but he drew her toward him and kissed her. It was a kiss full of the love he felt for her but could not yet admit.

The only problem was that it started a chain of events that quickly spiraled out of control because she seemed to sense his feelings and her arms wound around his waist as she kissed him back. That in itself should have been enough for him to put a stop to what was beginning to happen but he didn't because he selfishly wanted the memory of how her hands felt on his body.

Ann threw him a curve though because instead of putting her hands on his back they came back around and got a hold of the front of his open shirt. She pushed it off of his shoulders and he let go of her long enough to finish taking the shirt off and dropped it to the floor.

Ann threw him another curve when the front of his tee shirt came loose and her hands moved slowly up his chest as they explored the firm muscle. It was a completely new sensation that he wasn't ready for and he thought for a moment to stop her until he felt her hand caress the spot over his heart and then he stopped thinking.

He deepened his kisses in response the feel of her hand and it seemed to satisfy her until he felt her push him away. Danny was more than a little confused until she pulled the back of his tee shirt out and pushed it up. He understood then what it was that she was trying to do and let go of her again so that he could pull his shirt off. Ann's face flamed red as she studied his physique and he felt his neck warm at her reaction to the sight of his body.

He wanted so much to love her, completely.

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him while his own hands grasped the hem of her blouse and pulled it loose from her shorts. Of their own accord they began to move up the front, undoing the buttons and when they were all loose he set her back long enough to push the blouse off of her shoulders. He could feel a flush creek up his neck at the sight of her and he kissed her. She pulled it off and he watched as she dropped it on top of his tee shirt.

She was still on his lap at the foot of the bed and they looked at each other because they'd come to a point where it was going to be next to impossible to turn back. But Danny kicked off his loafers anyway and after Ann pulled her sandals off he took her with him as he stretched out on the bed and she laid down next to him. His hand settled into the small of her back and brought her body against his.

He should have known better that it wasn't fair to be so blatant about what he was feeling but Danny wasn't thinking anymore. Her hands were on his arms as he kissed the soft skin of her shoulder and he caught a faint scent of talcum powder. It was a scent he would carry with him while he was gone and would no doubt keep him awake at night with the memory of it.

His lips grazed her collarbone as they traveled down toward her heart and he could feel the rapid beat as he kissed the warm skin just above it.

"We're getting dangerously close to jumping off a cliff."

His thought processes suddenly reengaged as he remembered what Ann said to him the night of their first date. He kissed her very gently and put his arms around her. "We can't do this Annie, I'm sorry."

She began to tremble, badly as she lay her head on his shoulder and sighed. "We almost broke a promise."

"We almost jumped off the cliff is what we did." He sighed as he kissed her cheek.

"But I can't think of another man I'd rather go to the edge of that cliff with." She said as she snuggled against him.

"And I can't think of another girl I'd rather go to the edge of that cliff with either, but we did the right thing." Danny answered.

She laughed as he laced his fingers with hers and he gave her another gentle kiss. "We can blame our parents for that."

"This is _definitely_ something they don't need to know about." He echoed a sentiment he'd made earlier and the conversation with his father came to mind.

"Agreed."

He didn't want to do it but Danny knew that it was time for them to leave. It was too dangerous and too tempting to be on his bed with her because if they started something again, they would most likely finish it. He sat up and threw his feet over the side of the bed and boosted himself up on his feet while Ann sat up. He picked up her blouse, his tee shirt and shirt from the floor and put them on the foot of the bed. Ann sat with her arms around her knees as he walked around to the other side of the bed and as held out his hand, she took it. He helped her off of the bed and into his arms.

"You should know that you were on the side of the bed I usually sleep on." His voice was low as he smiled at her.

The idea seemed to please her because her face flushed again as she boosted herself up on her toes and kissed him.

He took her hand and led her around to the foot of the bed and handed the blouse to her. She put it on and buttoned it up while he put his tee shirt back on and tucked it in before he put his arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

Ann tucked her blouse in and looked thoroughly kissed. Her hair was in disarray and she couldn't go home with it looking like that or her parents would surely guess what they'd been up to. He walked over to the dresser to get his hairbrush and he handed it to her.

She gave him a grateful smile as she ran the brush through her hair and checked her reflection in the dresser mirror. She handed the brush back to him and he pulled it through his own hair with a few quick strokes. It didn't really need it because his hair was so short, but he felt the silly urge to have something of his that was so close to her, close to him.

Ann slipped her sandals back on while she waited for him and after he put the brush down met her back at the foot of the bed and jammed his feet back into his loafers. He took her hand and walked her to the door. As he closed it behind them Danny realized with a start that the front door of his quarters was still open.

It surprised him that Ann found humor in what could have been an embarrassing situation when she tried to stifle a laugh. "I guess it's a good thing that we didn't go over that cliff."

"A very good thing." Danny smiled back at her as they walked to the front door and he took her home.


	33. So Long For Awhile

Ann was sitting up in bed, unable to sleep even though she wore Danny's Academy sweatshirt as she so often did since he'd given it to her. It gave her little comfort that early morning because he was flying out in less than an hour and she didn't want to have to consider that he might not be coming home. It didn't help matters that she'd very nearly given herself to him the previous afternoon and he nearly let her do it.

"Ann?" She looked up to see her mother in her bedroom doorway with a look of surprise on her face. "I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Well, in order for me to still be asleep means that I would actually have slept last night." She babbled because she was so tired.

Mama came into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. "It's hard to rest when you know someone that you care about is going into harm's way. During the last two wars, especially Korea because we were married by then I didn't sleep when your dad was gone. I always worried something might happen until I saw him step off his transport and I could see for myself that he was all right."

"I don't know if I can do this." She looked at her mother and felt the tears start to roll down her cheeks.

Mama took her hands in a firm grasp and her soft voice was soothing. "You _can_ do this Ann because of what you feel for Danny."

"You think so?"

"I know so. I came in here to wake you because Danny's here and he didn't want to leave without seeing you." She stood up and put her hand under Ann's chin and tilted it up so they were eye to eye. "So splash some cold water on your face, run a brush through your hair and go give him a proper goodbye."

Ann stood up next to her mother. "Did it ever get any easier?"

"It never did. But I knew how much your dad loved me and if something happened to him I would always have had the knowledge of that. Danny cares a great deal for you and that's something that you need to remember as well." Mama added as she headed to the door. "Don't take too long now, he needs to leave for the field in a few minutes."

"I won't." She promised as she followed her mother out of her room and walked to the bathroom. Without bothering to turn on the light she turned on the tap and let the cold water pool in her cupped hands before she splashed some on her face. The feel of it woke her completely and she reached for her hairbrush. She couldn't help but remember running Danny's brush through her hair the previous afternoon and she smiled.

When she got out to the living room Danny and her father were sitting at the dining room table and talking over a cup of coffee. They were discussing the base on Okinawa and the Spartan conditions for the pilots temporarily stationed there.

Dad saw her first and stood up with the cup in his hand. "I think I'll heat this up. Would you care for any more?"

He held up his hand to indicate that he was fine. "No thank you Sir. Too much coffee and that flight to Okinawa gets too long."

"Well then why don't you say goodbye to Ann so you won't be late." And he walked into the kitchen, giving them some privacy.

Danny stood up and smiled. "That sweatshirt really does look better on you."

"That is a matter of opinion." She smiled back at him and before she knew it, she was in his arms and his lips were on hers. She put her arms around his neck as his hands roamed up her back before they stilled.

"You're not wearing anything under this, are you?" His voice was low and husky.

Ann could have kicked herself for being so careless and she answered quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about that."

He laughed softly and held her close. "I'm not because I stopped you yesterday."

"Yes you did." She held him as tightly as she could, wanting to remember how it felt to have his arms around her holding her so close to him. "But we both know you had to."

"I want to touch you so much." He whispered. "But with your parent's in the kitchen I really shouldn't."

She ran her hands down his back and wished that she could feel more than his flight jacket. "Your back is to the kitchen so they'll never know."

"Are you sure?" He seemed uncertain.

"I'm sure that you're running out of time because Dad's going to be out here in a minute." She looked into his eyes and saw something in them that hadn't been there before, just as his hands slipped under her sweatshirt and she got a shock because they were cold.

"Sorry." He apologized just before he kissed her. His hands warmed as they caressed her back and began to travel downward before she leaned back in his arms.

"Not a good idea." She shook her head before they returned to safe territory and he pulled her against him.

"I wish I didn't have to let you go, but Hank's outside waiting for me." His breath was soft against her hair.

She gave him a kiss and it was the kind of deep, passionate kiss that he would often give her. When she let him go, he looked absolutely floored and thoroughly pleased. "As soon as I come home, I'll have to outdo that one."

"I'm sure you'll try." She smiled back at him. He took her hand to walk her to the door and seemed reluctant to let it go.

"Don't forget that we have a date the night I get back."

"I won't forget." She couldn't take her eyes off of him because she was so afraid that this might be the last time she would see him.

He seemed to sense her worry and pulled a key out of his jacket pocket before he handed it to her. "This is the key to my quarters. If you could water the plants while I'm gone I'd appreciate it and if you need a quiet place to be by yourself it's yours to use."

"Take care out there." She could feel the tears begin to pool behind her eyes and was determined to keep them to herself.

"I will." He opened the door and waved a hand toward the street then checked his watch. "I need to push off now."

"Look after each other."

"We will Annie." And he gave her a quick kiss before he opened the screen door and ran down the walk toward Hank's car. He stopped again and waved as Hank waved to her as well and then they were gone.

She didn't hear her father come up behind her until she felt his hands on her shoulders. "Go get dressed honey and I'll take you over to the field so you can watch him take off."

"Really?" She turned and looked at her father. "Can you do that?"

"Of course I can do that, I work there. As long as you stay with me there won't be a problem, so go get dressed. We ain't got time to waste."

"Thanks Dad." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, now move." He grinned at her and then she ran down the hall.

Twenty minutes later her father parked in the lot next to the field where Danny was scheduled to fly out and made sure that she had her identification badge on. He took her hand as they approached the entrance to the field and were stopped by an MP. "Good morning Major. What's your business here?"

"We've come to see the 93rd Squadron take off. Lieutenant Daniel McCawley is one of the pilots bein' deployed this mornin'."

"Yes Sir. Just follow the signs to the observation deck and you'll be able to see the whole thing."

"Are they on time?"

"The last word I got was that they were slightly ahead of schedule. So you might want to hurry if you want to catch them." He advised as he handed a clipboard to Major Walker to sign in and in turn handed it to Ann so that she could as well. "Keep your badges on at all times and make sure that they're clearly visible."

"Thank you Sergeant, we'll do that." And they were let through the gate.

Ann started to get a little anxious because with Danny's squadron leaving sooner than they'd planned, she didn't want to miss it.

"Calm down honey, we ain't goin' to miss him." Her father tried to reassure her as they walked into the main building and as the sergeant advised them, followed the signs. When they finally reached the observation room Major McCawley was already there. His hands were shoved in his pockets and she saw so much of Danny in his stance as he stood and waited.

"I guess I don't need to ask why you're here." Dad laughed as they approached the major.

"The same reason you've brought your daughter is my guess." He smiled but Ann could see the tension in his face. "I've watched that boy of mine take off and land every day since he's been home and I was here the mornin' he flew out for his first mission. It may be a little superstitious but I figure that if I'm here when he takes off then he's got to come home."

"That ain't bein' superstitious Rafe, that's bein' a father." He put a hand on Major McCawley's shoulder. "Danny's a damn fine pilot and he proved that durin' his first mission. He came home last time and he'll come home this next time too."

He nodded and then pointed toward a group of planes that began to roll out of their hangars. "Here they come."

Dad got her in front of him so that she would have a better view and his hands were on her shoulders in a gesture of support. "Where is Danny?"

"He'll be the third one out."

She looked up at Major McCawley. "How can you know?"

"He told me it was where he was placed in the order. So keep your eye on the third jet rollin' down toward the runway because that's Danny." Ann could hear the pride in his voice, but she heard his worry as well.

Ann moved closer to the window and put her hands up on the glass because she wanted to get as close to him as she could. She felt the vibrations as the jets revved up their engines and she watched intently as he prepared to take his spot at the start of the runway. Ann had never seen him in the cockpit of his jet and it gave her more than a little thrill to see him at that moment. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the aircraft bounce forward and stop again when he became the second in line as the jet ahead of his began to roll down the runway and quickly gain speed. The next thing she knew it was in the air and disappeared in a matter of seconds.

Then he was first.

Ann watched as he made ready to take off and rolled toward the start line. The vibrations became stronger as the twin jets gathered strength and she watched as he snapped a salute to the officers in the tower and then looked toward the observation deck and saluted again. Major McCawley stood at attention and returned the salute to his son. She felt such pride in Danny for acknowledging his father and she'd have to tell him so when he came home.

His jet began to roll down the runway and her heart beat furiously as she watched the aircraft gain speed. She leaned into the window and nearly pressed her nose to the glass as it suddenly lifted into the air. She followed his ascent as best she could before he climbed out of her line of sight.

She turned away from the window thinking that they were leaving when Major McCawley stopped her. "Hank's about to take off if you want to watch."

She turned around in time to see him roll up to the start line. As Danny did before him, Hank snapped a salute to the tower and a few seconds later, he rolled down the runway and then climbed into the sky. She didn't know how Major McCawley could do it on a regular basis. Ann's heart was in her throat the entire time she watched Danny and she couldn't imagine how his father felt. With Danny and Hank safely in the air Ann turned around and started to walk toward the door.

"Ann." The sound of Major McCawley's voice got her to stop and turn back around. "I just thought you should know that I ain't ever seen my son happier since he's been with you. You've been able to show him that there's more to life then flyin' and no other girl he's known has ever been able to do that."

"That's because I've never tried to change the man he is. As long as I can remember all Danny wanted was to get in to the Air Force Academy and be a pilot like you. It's part of who he is and if I had tried to change that, it would have changed him and he wouldn't be the man I care about so much."

He grinned at her and for a moment, she saw Danny. "That's why he cares for you as much as he does."

"But he makes it so easy." Ann smiled at Danny's father and felt her face begin to warm. It was the first time that she'd voiced any feelings for Danny to anyone other than her parents.

"He's got a good heart and you couldn't do better."

"Spoken like a proud daddy." Dad laughed and clapped his old friend on the shoulder. "Well now that you got that boy of yours in the air, why don't we get this girl of mine home. As I recall, she's got some things to do today to get ready for school."

"So it's the University of Hawaii for you too?" The Major asked her.

"Yes Sir. To be honest, I never considered going anywhere else." Ann told him.

"It's a good school Ann, you made a good choice."

"Thank you Sir. My parents seem to think so too."

"We do because it's goin' to keep you closer to home." Dad smiled. "Come on Rafe, let's get on out of here."

Ann glanced behind her toward the runway Danny had just taken off from and then rushed to catch up with her father and Danny's as they left the observation deck to head toward home.


	34. A Rose For His Girl

A/N: Sorry I'm late again kids but I was on vacation last week. This wasn't any ordinary vacation though. I spent the week on Oahu and it was a little like deja vu. We spent most of our time in Waikiki, but I was able to go into Honolulu to Pearl Harbor, twice. I was also able to take a special tour and see some of the military bases, including Wheeler Field that were hit by the Japanese in 1941. I found the Royal Hawaiian, which was a few blocks up the street from our hotel and it was an odd feeling to be in the place where Danny and Sandra were for their honeymoon. It brought them to life, in a sense because I've been writing about them for so long without ever having been to the actual places where they were.

Now I have.

* * *

Five days after Danny took off for Okinawa the Air Force chaplain showed up at the McCawley's house with his squadron commander to tell them that he'd been shot down over North Vietnam.

Ann didn't find that out until her family was asked to come to the McCawley's where Danny's parents, Sarah and Joe were gathered in the living room. When she walked with her own family into the living room she could have heard a pin drop if she'd thought to drop one because no one was talking.

Hank was there as well. He had a hold of Sarah's hand and she was crying.

Mrs. McCawley's face was an ashen gray and Ann got the feeling that she was making a Herculean effort not to cry as her daughter was and the older woman looked at her. "Honey, Danny's been shot down."

Her whole body went numb as she tried to absorb the news that she'd been so afraid of hearing. "Is he still alive?"

"As far as I know he is." Hank let go of Sarah's hand and stepped forward to explain. "I was in communication with him when it happened and we maintained radio contact until he went down."

Her eyes began to flood with tears and tried valiantly to follow Mrs. McCawley's lead. "You saw him go down?"

He nodded. "There wasn't anything he could do Annie and I stayed with him as long as I could."

"We couldn't have asked you to do any more than that Hank." Sarah's voice was shaky and Ann watched her friend dab at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"You're right about that honey." Major McCawley sighed and looked at Hank. "You stayed with my son and radioed his position. It'll make it easier for the Air Force when they head out in the mornin' lookin' for him."

"If the North Vietnamese don't find him first." Hank let out a sigh of his own as he sat down and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry."

"For what son? You did what you were supposed to do and we know that." Major McCawley sat back down next to Mrs. McCawley and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes Sir, I know but it still doesn't change the fact that I couldn't help him." He looked at Danny's parents with a frown and seemed at a loss as to what to do next.

Ann felt a gentle nudge from her father and his voice was low. "Get him out of here. He's had a rough time of it and he could probably use an ear."

She glanced back at her father and nodded as she approached Hank. "I walked into the middle of this so I'd really like to know what happened. So why don't you take me for a walk and fill me in."

He seemed relieved at her request and gave her a tired smile as he stood up. "Sure."

She tucked her arm through his as they headed out the front door. "So what else can you tell me?"

"We started taking fire as we were joining up with another flight from another squadron. We couldn't see where it was coming from and the next thing I heard from Dan was that he'd been hit. It didn't seem too serious at the time and we thought he might be able to make it back to base but he started losing altitude fast and we knew it wasn't going to happen."

"And you stayed with him long enough to fix his position and call it in." She finished.

"The hardest thing for me to do was leave him down there Annie. But he kept telling me to get the hell out of there because he didn't, as he put it, want to see my sorry ass get shot out of the sky."

She couldn't help but laugh. "If his mother heard him talk like that, she'd be very unhappy."

"I hope he's all right." His voice was rough and it sounded to Ann as though he was trying to hold his emotions in check. "We ran this scenario for what seemed a hundred times because we wanted to be ready with a game plan if one of us got shot down over enemy territory. But we always hoped that we'd never have to use it."

"It's a good thing you did that then. You were prepared for a possible situation and knew what to do." Her voice sounded so reasonable to her own ears even though all she wanted to do was cry. But Hank was torn up enough and it wouldn't help him having his best friend's girl crying on his shoulder.

He seemed to notice it too. "You're really something Ann."

"Mama always says that there is a time and a place for things and my falling apart right now isn't the time or the place." She explained as they continued their walk and eventually noticed that they were headed toward the B O Q. "Should I ask where we're going?"

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know where _you're _going, but I'm going home. It's been a hell of a couple of days and I have to fly out again in the morning. I was recalled long enough for a debriefing but since we're short a pilot at the moment they need me back there."

"Well, since we're here I _should_ check on things like he asked me to." She tried to appear just as casual as he was.

"I know he'd appreciate that. When you're ready to leave come knock on my door and I'll drive you back if you don't feel like walking." He offered.

"You could have driven to the McCawley's, why didn't you?"

"I was thinking too much and thought it would be smarter to hoof it there instead of being behind the wheel of a car."

"That was good thinking Hank." And she reached up to kiss his cheek. "I wouldn't like it if something happened to you too."

He grinned and to Ann's surprise his ears turned red. In the few months she'd known him Hank didn't strike her as the type of guy that embarrassed easily. "You do that again and Dan might end up with some competition when he gets back."

"Then he'll just have to get back soon." She teased him and it suddenly struck her that they were joking about the situation and it felt odd.

"It's okay Ann." He seemed to realize what she was thinking. "If it helps us to cope with it then that's all right."

"Did Danny tell you that I had a dream that he got shot down and was killed?"

Hank nodded. "He told me and he was worried that you wouldn't be able to sleep while he was gone because of it. And that's why it's good that we can do this and you're not falling into hysterics."

"We don't do hysterics in my family any more than the McCawley's do hysterics in theirs." Ann explained.

He sighed as they reached his quarters and Ann let go of his arm. "Well, if you need me for anything don't hesitate to knock."

"You get some rest and don't worry about me." She reassured him as he walked to his door.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket and put a key into the lock. He opened the door and stopped. "He's going to be all right Ann. I know that dream scared you but I have a hard time believing that he's not okay."

"In spite of that dream I have a hard time believing it too."

"Goodnight." He said and then stepped inside.

When the door closed behind him she found Danny's key on her key ring and unlocked the door. It felt odd to be there without him because it was only six days since she'd been there last and they very nearly made love. They couldn't have gone through with it and both knew it but Ann wondered often since that time how it would have been between them.

She left the front door open to let some fresh air in and opened the window in the living room. She found a glass in the kitchen cabinet and filled it with water so that she could water the two plants she knew that he had, one from his mother and one from her. There wasn't much else that she could do because Danny left everything in order.

But she hadn't checked the bedroom.

There really wasn't any need for Ann to go in there and she didn't think Danny would mind because the window needed be opened to air out his room. It was a weak excuse and she knew it, but she wanted so much to be where they'd been so close together.

She opened the door and peaked in. It was silly because she almost expected him to be there and was disappointed that he wasn't. Everything was as she remembered when she walked into the room except for one small detail.

There were two slightly wilted roses and an envelope on the bed. He had obviously anticipated her coming into his room and left her a reminder of the short time they'd spent there together. It was a romantic gesture that she hoped she'd be able to thank him for.

Ann picked up the roses and carried them out to the kitchen. She filled the glass that she'd watered his plants with, with more water and she put the roses in them before she walked back into his room and sat down at the foot of the bed. She picked up the envelope and could feel her hands shake as she opened it and found a note inside:

Dear Annie,

If you're reading this it means that you found the roses. I thought it was probably a safe bet leaving them on my bed because I didn't think you'd be able to resist the temptation of coming in here.

He knew her so well already.

When I got into bed last night I found myself thinking of the side I've always slept on as yours. We came so close yesterday, much closer than we should have and I must admit that a part of me wishes that we'd gone through with it. But a promise is a promise and even the feel of your skin under my hands couldn't get me to break it. I will think about that afternoon while I'm gone and hope that you will think about it too.

She'd thought about it all right and was wakened in the middle of the night nearly every night afterward because the feel of his hands on her was so real, even though she was only dreaming. But in her dreams they didn't stop where they did that afternoon.

Ann folded his note and put it back in the envelope and then proceeded to curl up on the side of the bed he'd slept his last night before flying out. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't because she was so worried for his safety. She wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep because the next thing she remembered was a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. When she opened her eyes, a worried Hank sat at the edge of the bed.

"You need to call your parents and let them know you're all right." He smiled at her.

She sat up and the first thing she noticed was that the room was nearly dark, Danny's note was still in her hand. She didn't know how to explain her need to be where she was but Hank seemed to understand.

"Your parents called and were getting a little concerned because you hadn't come back. I told them you were probably at the beach and had lost track of the time." He offered. "I didn't know how they would feel about you being here by yourself."

She laughed. "Better by myself then alone with him."

"That is true." He grinned before he continued. "I know what happened here the day before he left and why you were so easy to find."

"That and the fact that I left his front door open."

"That too. I can't imagine that it was easy for either of you to stop what you must have wanted so much, but it was the right thing to do. And it occurs to me that you wouldn't have put yourself in the situation that you did if you didn't care for him a lot. In fact I would venture to say that you're probably in love with him."

Was she that easy to read?

"It hasn't been too hard to figure out Ann." He seemed to answer her thought. "He spends all of his free time with you and when he doesn't have it, he finds it somewhere just so he can see you. He hasn't said as much to me, but I think that he's fallen in love with you too."

It was still too much of a new feeling and when she was ready to say it, she wanted Danny to be the first to hear it.

"You don't have to say anything one way or the other because I'm not trying to be a Spanish Inquisition here. What you and Dan feel for each other is something that needs to be said between the two of you, I'm just giving you my opinions of what I've seen." And he got up from the side of the bed and grinned at her again. "This wouldn't look too good if someone walked in here, so I'm going out to the living room while you straighten up Dan's bed."

He walked out of the room and Ann sighed before she got up off the bed and ran a hand over the spread to smooth out the place where she lay. She closed the window before she left the room and then closed the bedroom door behind her. Hank had already closed the living room window and waited by the open door. "Don't forget your roses."

She shouldn't have been surprised that he knew, but she was.

"He figured that you would more than likely end up in there and wanted you to know he was thinking of you." And he laughed. "You should have seen him running around trying to find two red roses on a Sunday afternoon when everything was closed. But he managed to do it, though he never told me where he found them. What almost happened meant a lot to him."

She held up the envelope and showed it to him. "He said as much."

The roses had perked up in the short time they'd been in water when she took them out of the glass and proceeded to wrap the stems in a damp paper towel. A trick her mother showed her.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" He asked as he waited for her to walk out ahead of him and then closed the door. She locked it and stood with Hank outside.

"No thanks, I'd rather walk. You go ahead and go back inside."

"Are you sure about that?" He looked a little concerned. "How are you going to explain the roses?"

"I'll tell them the truth. That before I went to the beach, which I will, I walked with you to Danny's quarters so I could water his plants, which I did. I won't tell them he left them on the bed, of course but that he left them for me." She explained.

"They'll find him Ann and he'll be all right." He tried to reassure her. "We drilled for this so that if it happened it would be second nature."

"I guess a lot of things become second nature after awhile." She sounded cryptic but her meaning wasn't lost on Hank because he smiled.

"If you do them often enough they do. And I think that it's fair to say that you and Dan have done more than your fair share."

She felt her cheeks begin to warm with a flush. "It's fair. Well, I'm going to the beach before I head home. Take care of yourself and come back safe."

"I'll do my best. Goodnight." He raised his hand in farewell and walked to his quarters next door.

"Goodnight." She smiled back at him and watched as he went inside.

Danny had to come home.


	35. Insomnia

For the first time in her young life Ann Walker was suffering from insomnia.

She couldn't sleep because every time she closed her eyes she saw Danny. She saw him as she remembered him the day he took her flying and it was the first time he ever touched her.

It had been three weeks since the McCawley's were informed of Danny's situation and he was still missing. Word spread quickly around the base about his being shot down and scuttlebutt began to circulate that the North Vietnamese probably had him because he hadn't been located. Ann knew the possibility was very real and knew that his family was keenly aware of it too.

The one place that always helped to soothe her troubled mind was the beach and Ann found herself there one late afternoon with a book, in a vain attempt to read. She thought that if she could feel the breeze on her face and hear the sound of the incoming tide it would ease her worry about Danny. It didn't.

She wasn't aware that Evelyn was there until she heard her sigh. "I don't know what it is about Dan's family that they have such a bad habit of repeating history. It's eerie how his dad was shot down in two different wars and now _he_ gets shot down in a third."

Ann shaded her eyes against the afternoon sun to see her. "It was the one thing that Mrs. McCawley worried about most when Danny graduated from the Academy. The war in Vietnam was starting to heat up and she knew that it was only a matter of time before his squadron got called up."

Evelyn nodded. "It's one thing to log in a lot of flight hours. It's another thing to get sent out on training missions, but it's completely something else to actually go into combat."

"But if anyone was ready, it was Danny. He took his training so seriously that his squadron commander grounded him for three days before their first training mission because he was spending too much time in the air. He was afraid that Danny would get so tired that he would crash." Ann sighed and moved over on the blanket and offered Evelyn a spot, which she took.

"So how are you doing?" Evelyn touched her arm after she sat down. "You don't look like you've been getting too much sleep."

"I'm doing the best I can, I guess. I would much rather be curled up in bed with the blankets pulled over my head but I have too much to do before I start at the University in September. I keep hoping that this is a horrible nightmare and I'll wake up."

"I wish I could tell you that Dan is fine and he's coming home, but I don't have my crystal ball with me." Her smile was gentle. "But what I _can_ tell you is that he was in the top of his class at the Academy and he didn't get there without a lot of hard work."

"I've never worried about his ability as a pilot because I know from first hand experience how skilled he is. What does worry me is how he's handling himself on the ground. Flying is second nature to him, but if he's going to stay out of enemy hands he's going to have to rely on those skills he learned from his survival training."

"How are his parents holding up?" She asked.

"About as well as could be expected. Dad's had to talk Major McCawley more than once out of climbing into a jet and going after him. And Mrs. McCawley has been talking to Mama and Mrs. Dearborn a lot. They went through this with her before and I know Mama has the same feeling you do about repeating history."

"Hello Ladies." Ann looked up to see Hank standing in front of them. He was dressed for a run and wore his usual grin but she could see that it didn't reach his eyes. He returned from Okinawa two days earlier with his squadron and admitted to Ann that running was his way of dealing with his frustration with the situation. "You certainly picked a fine afternoon to be out here."

"And you picked a fine afternoon for a run Henry." Evelyn smiled back as she stood up and pulled Ann up with her. "I was just trying to cheer her up."

His look turned serious. "I'm sorry about all of this."

"I know you are, but it's not your fault. Has there been any word?"

Hank shook his head. "I'm sorry we haven't heard anything, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"I know, but it's not good either." Ann frowned.

Evelyn put her hands on her hips and sighed. "All right you two, this gloomy talk isn't going to help anything. I know how worried the both of you are because I am too, but there isn't anything we can do at the moment. We'll find out soon enough what's happened to Dan and we'll cope."

"Spoken like an optimist." Hank smiled as he put an arm around Ann's shoulders. "And that's what we need here Annie, is optimism."

"Henry, you really aren't going to start calling her _that_ are you?" Evelyn asked, her hands still on her hips. "It's bad enough when Dan does it, but at least he's trying _not_ to."

"It's all right Evelyn, I don't mind." Ann smiled. "Besides, you're the only one that calls Hank, Henry."

"You know Evelyn; she does have a point." He laughed. "Even when Dan and I were at the Academy, you _were _the only one who called me Henry."

If Ann didn't know better, she could swear that Evelyn's face started to flush. Was it embarrassment or the fact that Hank was teasing her? "I call you Henry because Hank is a boy's name and it's why I don't call Dan, Danny for the same reason."

"But _Ann_ calls him Danny." He countered and it seemed as though he was enjoying their banter.

"That's because she grew up with him and it's a little different." She answered and Evelyn too, seemed to warm to the exchange. It didn't matter what she said to Ann about not getting involved with a guy in the service because if they began to spend more time together she might end up in that very situation.

She looked up at Hank and then over at Evelyn. "You aren't really going to have an argument about this are you?"

"It's not an argument Ann." Evelyn told her. "We are merely discussing the merits of referring to a man by a man's name, not a boy's."

"You don't think that Hank is manly enough?" Hank's voice was husky and Ann knew that he was now deliberately trying to get a rise out of her.

What it _did_ do was make her cheeks flame red and to Ann's surprise the usually unflappable Evelyn walked away from them and headed up the beach. "You're just as terrible as you always were." She tossed over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Henry Mason Metcalf, you go talk to her this minute!" Ann chastised him as she shrugged his arm off of her shoulder. "You were deliberately being mean and I'm surprised at you."

"I wasn't _trying_ to be mean." He tried to explain and she could see the surprise on his face at Evelyn's reaction. "I was only teasing her."

"Don't tell _me_; tell _her_ before she gets too far away." She frowned as she gave him a shove. "Go apologize or _I _won't be talking to you either."

"I'll go talk to her." He looked at Ann and sighed because he probably knew that she was right.

She watched as Hank jogged up the beach after Evelyn and heard him call her name. She ignored him and kept walking until he caught up to her and stopped her as he took her by the elbow. Ann saw her pull her elbow out of his grasp and continue to walk. He stopped her again by taking her by both of her elbows and leaning close to her. She couldn't hear what he was saying of course, but he looked so earnest in his conversation. Evelyn wasn't looking at him so Ann couldn't see what her reaction was to his apology.

After a few moments Ann saw Evelyn nod her head and Hank let her go. He stood and watched as she walked the rest of the way up the beach and reached the pavement. He seemed to stand there a long time, long after she disappeared and Ann wondered what he was thinking as he turned around and walked back to wear she was standing.

"Is she all right?" Ann was concerned because in the short time that she'd known Evelyn, she'd never seen her so flustered.

"I embarrassed her." Hank told Ann.

"You don't need to be an Air Force Academy graduate to figure that out Hank." She answered gently.

He frowned. "She's the most self-assured girl I've ever met. She's always known what she's wanted and not wanted and that's why I thought that she and Dan would have made a good match at the time."

"Well, you _were_ a little hostile to her when she first got here, or have you forgotten?"

"Ann that was months ago. Besides, I apologized to her for that." He seemed a little defensive. "One of the reasons that I've always liked Evelyn is that she can take my ribbing. I don't know why she couldn't this time."

It occurred to Ann that what Hank thought was teasing, maybe Evelyn saw it as more and she tucked her arm through his as they began to walk. "Do you mind if I make an observation about what just happened?"

"Shoot."

"If I didn't know the two of you and saw you while you were talking just now, I would have thought that you were flirting with each other." She stated and that brought Hank to a dead stop.

He looked absolutely floored by her comment and she saw his face flush as Evelyn's had. "Flirting? Us?"

"I never thought about it until now but I've seen the way you are with each other and sometimes it _has _felt that way, though I knew that neither one of you was aware of it."

She could see that he was trying to absorb the idea and wasn't sure how he liked it. "You said that _if_ you didn't know us, but you do. Did it sound to you like we were flirting?"

"To be honest, it did. And it also sounded to me as though you both enjoyed it." Ann added.

"Enjoyed what? We've always done that; it just never seemed to bother her before."

She tucked her arm through his again and looked up at him. "Maybe because it never did until now."

"What are you trying to tell me Ann?" He sighed as they began to walk again.

"If that look on your face is any indication, it's not something that hasn't crossed your mind already." She smiled and put her head on his shoulder for a moment. "Hank, I think you know that one of the reasons things between you and Sarah didn't work was that there was another girl you were thinking about."

"Evelyn." He stated with a frown.

"Evelyn." She confirmed. "Whether you know it or not, you always have a smile on your face when you see her and invariably say something that will get her attention. With Sarah, you were always polite and never said the wrong thing. Now that could mean that you cared so much about her that you didn't want Sarah to have a bad impression of you, but with Evelyn it's never seemed to matter."

"You're saying that I've always been myself with Evelyn and wasn't with Sarah." His frown deepened.

"From where I'm standing, I'd say yes. And it seems to me that you'd known Sarah long enough that you should have felt comfortable in being yourself."

"It's like Deja Vu all over again." He sighed.

Ann didn't understand what he meant. "Excuse me?"

"Yogi Berra said it." He told her in way of explanation.

"Yogi Berra?"

"Catcher for the Yankees back in the 40's, manager of the Mets?" He seemed frustrated that she didn't know who he was talking about and shook his head. "Never mind. What I'm trying to say is that it just occurred to me that this is the same sort of situation that you and Dan were in not long ago."

She smiled. "Not exactly. The difference is Danny has never been anything _but_ himself with me and it's gotten him in a little hot water with his parents because of it. Your being yourself with Evelyn has finally gotten you in hot water with her."

"Why?"

"Because I think it's starting to matter to her." And she waited for Hank to see if he would catch on to her thinking. "Just step lightly with her. I never noticed it before today but I think that she's starting to see you differently and she isn't taking your teasing the way she used to."

"Evelyn?" He didn't seem to want to believe it.

"Yes, Evelyn. And I also think that lately you've deliberately been _trying_ to get a reaction out of her." Ann laughed and then turned serious. "When I saw you apologizing to her just now, you were holding her so close that I thought you were going to kiss her."

His face flushed and Ann got the feeling that it was something that _had _crossed his mind.

"Danny told me that you had dinner with her before you flew out. Is that true?"

The flush crept up to his ears. "It isn't what you think. I was helping her reorganize her folders."

"How's that?" Ann asked in confusion.

Hank sighed. "The afternoon Dan and I saw her we'd been given our new orders and we were outside talking and I ran into Evelyn. She was supposed to be making a presentation to Commander Allen and had an armful of folders."

"And those folders were emptied of their contents?" Ann tried not to smile with the picture of Danny, Hank and Evelyn trying to retrieve the loose papers.

He shook his head. "Not quite. When we got the Black Cat for dinner the damage wasn't as bad as she thought it was, so it didn't take long for me to help her to reorganize everything."

"Did you take the opportunity to talk to her, to get to know her better?" She wanted to know.

"I tried, but you know it doesn't matter."

"Then it seems to me that you didn't try hard enough. If you could talk her into a casual dinner at a diner, you can talk her into something more like a date." She smiled.

"Annie, you don't know Evelyn as well as I do. She's the kind of girl that says what she means and means what she says."

Ann wouldn't give up. "I'm sure that's true. All's I'm saying is that you have to try and persuade her to change her way of thinking so that she gives you a chance."

Hank suddenly grinned. "You're matchmaking Ann, just like Dan."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Because I want you to be happy, like he does. And if you think Evelyn is the girl who can do that, then I'll do what I can to help until Danny comes home."

"So Evelyn and I will have the _both_ of you working on us."

Ann laughed. "Pretty much. You seem to forget that Danny and I had you and Sarah working on us and I think it's only fair to return the favor with you and Evelyn."

"There _is_ no me and Evelyn." He insisted.

"Not yet, but I have no doubt that once you put your mind to it there will be." She finished.

"You really like her don't you?" Hank seemed a little surprised.

"If it isn't Sarah that you're meant to be with, why _not_ Evelyn?" Ann reasoned with him. "She puts a sparkle in your eye whenever she's around, whether you realize it or not and you have the ability to rattle her, which no one else on this base can do. If you would both give each other a chance you might just find what it is that you've been looking for."

"Like you and Dan did."

"Something like that. Danny and I have known each other for most of our lives and have been able to build on that foundation. You and Evelyn have known each other long enough now that _you_ have something to build on and I think you should."

Hank grinned again. "You really do sound a lot like Dan."

"Maybe it's because we both make sense and you don't want to admit it."

"Maybe." And he looked at his watch. "I hate to leave you alone, but I need to get going. We're off rotation for a couple of weeks but I still need to get my flight hours in."

"Get going then, I'll be all right." She reassured him.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." His look was serious. "I mean _any_thing."

"I know. And if you need to talk, don't hesitate to call me either."

Hank nodded. "He's going to be fine."

"I hope you're right." She sighed just as Hank put his arms around her and held her for a moment. "They'll find him Ann, even if his own father has to go after him."

"He'd do it too."

Hank let go of her and gave her a gentle smile. "I know he would and given the chance, I'd go with him."

"That's because he's your best friend." Ann said unnecessarily.

He nodded. "He is and I don't have any intention of losing that friend any time soon."

"We've just begun something that's pretty special and _I_ have no intention of losing him either."

Hank put an arm around her shoulders. "Good girl. That's what Danny needs, to know that he's got a lot of people that care about him and want him home safe and sound."

"That's all we can ask for isn't it?" She asked him as he steered her up the beach toward home.


	36. The Search Is On

Ann's father told her four weeks after Danny was shot down the Air Force was getting ready to discontinue the search for him. Dad explained that the decision was made reluctantly, but with no sign of him it was determined that he either hadn't survived the crash or he'd been caught and was now a prisoner of war.

Danny's father was beside himself with frustration and asked his wing commander if he could continue the search on his own. His initial request was turned down, but he persisted and after a few days the commander changed his mind with the stipulation that Major McCawley would not fly out alone. And that meant that Dad would go with him.

Ann stood in the doorway of her parent's room as Mama sat at the foot of their bed and watched as he packed his travel bag. She could see how worried her mother was, but knew she wouldn't say anything. Ann understood how important it was to Dad to help his best friend find his son even though it meant flying into a combat situation. The major's son was missing and he wasn't about to give up on him.

She left them to say goodbye and walked to her room.

She sat down on her bed and on her nightstand, the snow globe Danny gave her for Christmas caught her eye. It sat in front of the picture of them from Senior Prom and she saw again how handsome he was in his full dress uniform.

"We'll find him honey, Rafe's goin' to see to that." Her father's voice from the doorway was gentle as he walked into the room and sat down next to her. He put an arm around her and Ann put her head down on his shoulder.

"I don't want anything to happen to you." She said quietly. "It's hard enough trying to deal with the fact that Danny is still missing but I don't want to have to worry about you too."

"You don't need to worry about me Annie; I'm an old hand at this sort of thing. I made it through two other wars without anythin' happenin' and I don't plan on it happenin' now."

"I know you don't, but I'm sure the North Vietnamese will have other ideas about that." She sighed.

"Mama told me you had a dream about Danny when you were at your grandparents and that's why you came home early." He stated. "Is that true?"

Ann nodded. "I don't want to have the same kind of dream about you."

"I know honey, I don't want you to either. So just keep a good thought for me, for Danny and his daddy. In a few days we'll all be home, safe and sound." He tried to reassure her and all she wanted to do was cry. Her father seemed to sense it and tightened his hold for a moment. "Your mama tries to put on a brave front so you kids won't worry, so I'm goin' to ask you to do the same for her. She's goin' to have enough on her mind worryin' about me and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't give her any extra reason to worry about you."

"Yes, Sir." Ann promised and sat up. "Just be careful."

"I will Annie." He answered as he stood up. "I need to say goodbye to your brother and sister before I go. We'll be flyin' to Okinawa and start the search from there."

"Dad, if the Air Force hasn't been able to find him, what makes you think _you_ will?" She asked with a sigh.

"To the Air Force, Danny is just a pilot. He's a damn good one, but he's just a pilot. But Rafe's got more ridin' on this search because he's lookin' for his son." He said in way of explanation.

"And my heart." Ann said quietly, not thinking that her father might hear.

"That's another reason to keep a good thought honey because I'd wager that you have his heart too." Dad's voice was gentle. "I'll try to get a call through to you when we find him and let you know when we'll be home, all right?"

She nodded as she got up from the bed and put her arms around his neck. She felt his arms around her and he patted her back in comfort.

"You're a strong girl, just like your mama and you'll handle what ever happens." He said and Ann got the feeling that he was trying to prepare her for the worst possible outcome, but made a small concession as well. "Danny's a strong young man too, and he was well trained for this kind of a situation."

"I know he was. Hank told me pretty much the same thing."

"And he would know, wouldn't he?" He smiled.

"Yes, he would." Ann smiled back. "You better get going if you're going to say goodbye to Shelby and Tom."

"You are just like your mama." Her father's smile turned into a grin just before he turned around and walked out the door.

She sat back down on the bed and could feel a flood of tears behind her eyes wanting to spill down her cheeks, but knew they wouldn't. Crying wouldn't solve anything accept to make her miss Danny even more than she already did and worry about her father.

"Your dad is a fine pilot Ann." She looked up at the sound of her mother's soft voice. Mama looked awfully pale and Ann knew that it was taking a real effort to control her emotions. "Between the two of them they'll find Danny, I'm sure of it."

"How are you doing with this?" She asked as her mother walked into the room, sat down next to her and took her hand.

"About as well as the wife of a military pilot can. Dad and I tried to give you kids as normal a childhood as possible given the situation we were in. But the fact remains that we do live on a military base with all of the good and bad that goes with being the family of a serviceman. It should have occurred to us that one of our daughters would become involved with someone in the service and we could have prepared you for that possibility."

"I don't think this is something that you can prepare someone for Mama." Ann squeezed her mother's hand in a gesture of comfort.

"Perhaps, but as your parents it's up to us to try." She squeezed back and smiled. "It's hard to believe that my baby girl is going to be eighteen next month and starting college in September. I can remember when Dad brought us home from the hospital and it seemed as though everyone on the base was stopping by to congratulate us and get a look at you. I don't ever remember being so tired in my whole life, but at the same time I was so happy to have you."

"Is that when Gram came out to stay for a couple of weeks and she told everyone that they had to clear it with Dad before they could come see you?"

"I see you've heard that story." Mama laughed. "She did the same thing when Shelby and Tom were born and I was so grateful for her help. But by the time they came along, I didn't depend on her to help me the way I did with you."

"Ever since I can remember it seems that we've been at war." Ann commented.

"It hasn't been quite that bad, but I understand what you mean. Dad and I thought we were in the clear when we got married and then four years and two children later, we were at war for a second time."

"And here we are again, except it's _our_ turn to fight. Dad and Major McCawley did their part and it doesn't seem quite fair that they have to go out into a combat zone again."

She felt an arm around her shoulders. "This is a very different thing Ann, you know that. Yes, they'll be in harms way and I imagine that Ev's beside herself with worry about it because her oldest son is missing and her husband is going after him. It would be hard on us if we lost Dad but if she lost them both because of this, well it's not something I can even begin to imagine."

Ann wanted to ask, "_What about me?_" But knew how utterly selfish it would sound.

"If something should happen to Danny you would grieve." She did it again; Mama read her mind. "But you're also very young and you would heal. You would never forget about him, as well you shouldn't but you would eventually move forward and meet someone new."

"Could you?"

Mama shook her head. "_I _couldn't because I've spent the last nineteen years with your dad and raised three children with him. He's the only man I've ever loved and I would have no desire to start over again, not at this point in my life."

"If something were to happen, I don't know that I'd want to meet anyone else."

She nodded. "I can see why you would feel that way. But you told me not long ago that Evelyn's mother lost a young sailor at Pearl Harbor but then she met Evelyn's father, fell in love and married him."

Ann put her head down on her mother's shoulder. "Are you saying that you think Danny didn't survive?"

"I'm not saying any such thing. What I _am_ saying is that if by some awful twist of fate he doesn't come home alive, you need to be prepared to move forward. I can't imagine that Danny would want you mourn him for the rest of your life."

"I can't believe that we're actually talking about this." She sighed. "We don't even know what his situation is."

"That's true. But now you understand a little better what we go through when we have to say goodbye to the men we love. These are things that go through our heads because we have to prepare ourselves for the very possibility that we can't bear to think about. And this is something that you took on when you decided to get involved with an Air Force pilot."

"Was it easier before you got married or after?" Ann asked, not sure that she wanted to know the answer.

"It wasn't easy in either case. If something had happened to him during the Second World War I would have always wondered what it could have been like to be married to him. If I'd lost him during the Korean War I would have been a widow with two small girls and we might not have had the chance to have your brother. So it would be a matter of six in one hand and a half dozen in the other."

"It evens out."

"_I _think so."

"Mama, would it be all right if I drove over to the field and watched them take off?" Ann sat up and still felt the gentle presence of her mother's comforting arm.

"I don't see why not. Just make sure to have your identification with you." She was reminded.

"I wasn't planning on going inside; I just wanted to stand at the gate."

"Take it with you just the same." Mama's voice was firm. "With Wheeler on high alert again, you may not be allowed."

Ann nodded. "I'll make sure I have it with me."

"Good girl." And she stood up. "While you're over there I'm going to go to Ev's and see how she's doing. She's been putting on a brave face for Rafe, Sarah and Joe but she's starting to look awfully tired."

"All right Mama."

They walked together out of her room and Shelby and Tom were sitting together on the sofa and the two were quiet, which was unusual. Mama always joked that they took after Tom McCawley because they were so outgoing.

"Did you get to say goodbye to Dad?" She asked them.

"I wish he didn't have to go." Shelby commented with a nod.

"I know honey, I don't either. But Rafe isn't going to give up on finding Danny and your dad won't give up on trying to help." She told them. "That's the way they are."

"Do you think they'll find him?" Tom asked with a look of concern at Ann. "He's been gone an awful long time."

"I hope they do because there are a lot of people that want him home safe and sound." She answered. "Why don't you two come with me over to the McCawley's? I think it would do Ev some good to see friendly faces."

"What about Ann?" Shelby asked and sounded unusually petulant.

"Your sister has other things she needs to do so she won't be coming with us." Mama explained to them as she walked to the side table by the front door and pulled a single key out of a small drawer. She motioned to Ann to join her before she put the key in her hand. "Take care of this because it's the only spare we have. When you get home please put it back in the drawer."

"Thank you." She smiled and hugged her mother. "I thought I'd drop by Danny's quarters on my way home. I haven't been over there since last week and I'm sure his plants probably need to be watered."

"That will be fine Ann. Go get your purse and get a move on, you don't want to be late."

"Yes Ma'am." She answered and walked back to her room to get her purse. She checked to make sure that her military identification was inside before she walked back out to the living room and found her mother ushering her brother and sister out the door.

"Do you have everything you need?" She asked as she stood by the open door.

"Yes." Ann said as she looked again to make sure she had her identification; she did.

"We'll probably end up having lunch. You'd be more than welcome to join us if you like, but I'll let you decide."

"Thank you Mama. If it's all the same to you, I'd like to go down to the beach when I get home."

She nodded. "It's a lovely day for it."

Ann said goodbye to her family and it didn't take her long to reach the field. She couldn't see any aircraft out on the tarmac and began to worry that she'd missed them.

"You haven't missed them Annie." She heard Hank's voice and turned around as he approached her. "Commander Allen called our squadron commander and he called me to say that Dan's father was going to Okinawa to look for him. It seems as though you had the same idea I did."

"It's silly, but I thought that if I could watch them take off it would mean that Danny was going to come home." She shook her head with a smile.

Hank put an arm around her shoulders. "It's not silly Ann, it's hope. And we can use all the hope we can get right now."

"Do you think they'll find him?"

"I wish I knew the answer, but I don't." He told her honestly. "But in the meantime, it looks as though Major McCawley and Major Walker are getting ready to take off."

He pointed as two jets rolled out of a hangar and headed to the runway. She watched as one stopped short of the runway and the other rolled ahead to the start and bounced to a stop. The flaps dropped as the engines were opened up and a moment later began to roll down the runway. Ann held her breath, not knowing if it was her father or Danny's that was taking off and watched as the jet reached the end of the runway and lifted into the air.

Moments later the second jet followed the first and disappeared into the clear blue sky.

The takeoff was much louder than Ann expected and her ears were ringing with the echo of it. When she watched Danny and Hank take off five weeks earlier she'd been inside and hadn't gotten the full effect of the powerful engines.

"It always sounds so much different from here." Hank commented. "I don't get this perspective very often. I sure wish I were going with them though."

"I'm sure you do, but there _is_ a reason that they want you off rotation Hank." She tried to sound reasonable.

"I know that Ann, but it doesn't mean that I have to like being left behind. My best friend is out there somewhere and I don't know where in the hell he is."

"If anyone can find him, Major McCawley can."

"That's what I'm counting on." He sighed. "They've got good weather all the way to Okinawa so they should make it there in good time."

"And they'll start the search again tomorrow."

"Then I'm hoping that it won't be too long before we hear something." Hank added. "So now that you've watched them take off, are you going to head home?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I'm going over to Danny's quarters to check on his plants and air the place out. I haven't been over there since last week. What about you?"

"I was going to talk to my squadron commander and let him know that Danny's got more help coming. I thought that since he told me about this, I should let him know that they're on their way."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that." She paused for a moment. "Are you going to let Evelyn know?"

"I hadn't really thought about it." He sounded a little defensive and Ann wondered how much he _had_ thought about it.

"I'll tell her if you want me to. She should know about this too."

"That's fine." And he cleared his throat. "I'm going to get out of here. If you need anything, call me."

"I will, you know that." She assured him as he grasped her hand for a moment before he walked away.

Ann still didn't know what was going on with Hank and Evelyn. Without Danny there to keep her in the loop, she was completely clueless. But it wasn't because of that that she wanted him home.

She wanted him home because she needed him.

But mostly it was because she finally had to admit how much she loved him.

She loved him.


	37. Lieutenant McCawley Returns

Ann's father and Major McCawley had been gone for a couple of weeks and there was little word from either one of them. He had called a few days earlier to let her know that they'd narrowed down the search area and were going to hit the ground with a small detachment from the First Battalions Second Brigade.

It didn't matter to Ann _who_ was helping in the search, just that they would find him.

She knew that Mama was worried something might have happened to Dad because she would flinch every time there was a knock at the door. She was expecting the chaplain and Dad's squadron commander with bad news, of that Ann was sure.

When news finally came, it came in an unexpected way.

He hadn't told anyone that he was on his way home and it surprised the whole family one evening during dinner when the front screen door opened and Ann heard the thud of a travel bag as it hit the floor. She turned toward the door and saw her father standing there looking absolutely exhausted. "I hope you set a place for me honey because I'm starvin' for some of your home cookin'."

"Danny!" Mama was up from her chair and in her father's arms.

"Dad!" Ann's sister and brother were out of their chairs, not far behind her.

She sat and waited for the excitement to subside. Ann was relieved and happy to see her father home, but did it mean that they'd given up looking or had Danny been found?

"I've had a very nice welcome home from the rest of my family Annie, how 'bout you?" Her father smiled at her.

She didn't know how to ask because she didn't know if she wanted the answer.

"We found him honey." And his smile turned to a grin. "It took some doin' because he'd hidden himself real well. The fact is it probably saved him from bein' caught."

"You found him?" She said even though she'd heard her father say it, but she wanted to be absolutely certain. "How is he?"

"I won't lie and tell you that he's fine because the truth is, he ain't. He's got a pretty serious concussion from the crash and his right leg was busted up pretty badly. Other than that, he's doin' all right and he'll be comin' home on a hospital ship as soon as they can stabilize him enough to travel."

__

Stabilize him?

"Does Mrs. McCawley know?"

Dad nodded. "I stopped over at Rafe's before I came home to let her know that they'll be comin' home together. I would have called you before I left Okinawa, but everythin' happened so fast and Rafe wanted me to get home as soon as possible to tell Evelyn."

"It's all right Dad. The important thing is that you found him. I'm just glad that you came home too." And she was out of her chair and put her arms around her father's neck. "Thank you for what you did."

"If Danny had been _my _son instead of his, Rafe would have done the same for me." He said as he patted her back. "That's how we've always done things."

"I know." She held her father even tighter and started to tremble. She thought she might cry but no tears came, just the feeling of an overwhelming sense of relief.

"It's all right honey, he's fine." Dad seemed to anticipate that she might get emotional. "It's goin' to take a lot of time for that leg of his to heal, but he's comin' home."

Ann nodded silently and felt the gentle touch of her mother's hand stroke her hair. "Maybe now you'll be able to get a good night sleep."

"That's sure what _I_ could use." Dad's voice was amused. "But first I need to take a shower and change into civvies before I have some supper. So if I'm goin' to do that, you need to let me go."

Ann was smiling as she took her arms from around his neck and her mother and father seemed relieved. "I've waited six weeks for some news, _any _news really. But this was the best possible news I could get."

Hank! She didn't know if he knew yet and he needed to know.

"Call him Annie. He was just as anxious as the rest of us to know what happened to him." Dad told her. "I think he'd appreciate hearin' it from you."

Ann was on the telephone a moment later and shifted her weight from foot to foot as she waited for Hank to pick up. "Hello, Lieutenant Metcalf."

She smiled into the receiver. "Hank it's Ann."

"Did they find him?" She heard the anxiety in his voice and the hesitation. "How is he?"

"He's hurt, but he's alive. Dad says that he got a concussion from the crash and a broken leg. They're going to stabilize him at the hospital in Okinawa and then send him home on a hospital ship." She explained.

"Your dad got back all right?"

Ann nodded even though she knew Hank couldn't see it. "He walked in the door about five minutes ago. He also told us that Major McCawley would be coming back with Danny."

"Did he say how long that might be?"

"I'm sorry he didn't. I guess it all depends on how quickly they can get Danny stabilized and allow him to travel."

"That makes sense. Have you talked to Evelyn yet? I know that she's been really anxious about this."

Ann took a page out of Danny's book and hoped it wouldn't sound too obvious. "Would you mind calling her?"

She heard Hank sigh and sensed that he really didn't want to. "This is your news Ann; you should be the one to tell her."

"But you both knew Danny back in Colorado and I think she should hear it from his best friend." She countered. "Besides, I don't have her phone number."

"And what makes you think that _I _do?" He sounded annoyed.

"Lucky guess?" And she tried not to laugh.

"You've been spending too much time with Dan." He sighed again and Ann could almost see him running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I know."

"He's lucky to have you." He conceded.

"I know that too."

"I'll call Evelyn."

"Thank you."

"I should thank _you_ for calling _me_. This is something I would have rather heard from you than my squadron commander."

"You just did. As soon as I hear when the hospital ship will be here, I'll call you."

"Thanks Ann."

"You're welcome. I'll call you as soon as I know anything." She reiterated before he said goodbye and she hung up.

"Ann Rachel Walker, if I didn't know better I'd say you were engagin' in some matchmakin'." Her father laughed as she turned to face her parents. "Your mama did the same thing with Red before he met Amy."

"It just made him appreciate her all the more. Besides, I _was_ the one who introduced them." She smiled at him.

"That you were honey." He leaned over and kissed her cheek before he looked back at Ann. "So what's goin' on with those two? He's been keepin' himself scarce around here since he and Sarah stopped seein' each other."

"Nothing's going on because Evelyn won't date servicemen. It's a rule she's had since she was in Colorado and she won't change it."

"Not if Danny and you can help it I gather." Mama smiled at her. "Honestly Ann, if that's her rule you have to respect it."

"If I didn't think that she wasn't more than a little interested in Hank I'd leave it alone. But I've never seen her react to any other personnel around the base the way she does with him. I just don't want her to miss out on something that could be special."

"Our daughter the expert." Dad grinned again. "I don't know if I like this Annie, so take it easy with them and don't push too hard."

"Yes Sir."

"All right then. Honey, if you wouldn't mind puttin' a plate in the oven for me I'm goin' to take a shower and get some sleep."

"Danny, I thought you wanted to eat first?" Mama looked concerned. It wasn't like her father to not eat before he settled down.

"I'm sorry Sandra, I changed my mind. All I really want to do right now is sleep." He shook his head in disagreement. "It's been a hell of a two weeks and I ain't goin' to be able to stay awake much longer."

"All right. Tom why don't you get your dad's bag and take it down to our room. Shelby if you're done, please clear your place and take the dishes out to the kitchen. Ann, make up a plate for your dad and put it in the oven for me if you would."

"Sure Mama." Ann answered as she watched her parents follow her brother back to their room. Dad has his arm around her mother's shoulders and she had her arm around his waist. They walked slowly and she suspected that her father was more exhausted than he was willing to let on. That's why Mama was going with him, among other reasons.

She turned around and walked into the kitchen to make up a plate as her mother asked.

A week later, Ann was standing with her family and Danny's as the hospital ship bound from Okinawa steamed into Pearl Harbor. An ambulance was standing by to transport the young pilot to the Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital and Sarah's grip on Ann's hand was so firm it almost hurt.

She, Sarah, Hank and Evelyn stood in a group as they watched the large ship negotiate it's way through the narrow channel and was assisted to it's mooring by a small tug. It seemed an eternity as the ship dropped anchor and several sailors lashed the ship to its mooring posts with the help of other sailors on board. The gangway was rolled out and it was several more minutes before young servicemen began debarking from the ship with the help of nurses and orderlies.

Ann was beginning to wonder if Danny was even on board when she saw Major McCawley appear at the head of the gangway. He looked behind him and waited as two orderlies slowly carried a stretcher down to the dock where a gurney waited for them and carefully strapped it down.

She felt Hank's strong hands on her shoulders as she tried to get a look at Danny. He was covered up to his chin with a sheet, his eyes were closed and she'd never seen him look so deathly pale. "They probably had to sedate him for the trip." Hank told her as they gurney rolled away from them and to the ambulance.

Major McCawley barely made it to the foot of the gangway before Mrs. McCawley was there and had her arms around him. "I'm glad you're home, the _both_ of you."

His arms were around her and Ann could see how much he'd missed his wife. "I'm glad to be home too honey, and on a hospital ship no less." She heard him laugh and knew it meant something, she just didn't know what.

"Don't think that fact isn't lost on me Rafe McCawley." She smiled back at him.

"We need to get goin' Evelyn. I told the Navy that we would both be ridin' with Danny to the hospital."

"Thank you Rafe." She sighed and kissed his cheek. "There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be."

"We'll meet y'all at the hospital." Major McCawley told them as he walked with Danny's mother to the back of the ambulance and he helped her in before getting in behind her. One of the orderlies that had carried Danny to the gurney closed the door firmly before the ambulance turned on it's lights and rolled away from the small group.

"It's nice to finally have that boy home, safe and sound." Dad smiled. "Hank, if you wouldn't mind takin' Annie and Sarah, I'll take everyone else. You're more than welcome to join us there Evelyn, if you'd like."

"Thank you Major, I'd like that." Evelyn smiled back and seemed relieved to be included.

"Let's get movin' then." He took Mama's hand and started toward his car while Ann peeled off with Hank and Sarah to go to _his_ car, while Evelyn walked toward hers.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. All three of the occupants were dealing with their own thoughts and emotions, whether it was as someone's sister, girlfriend or best friend. Danny was finally home, but they had no idea what the future held for him.

Hank was able to find a parking space close to the entrance and when he'd shut down the engine, got out and then helped Ann and Sarah out. He put an arm around each of their shoulders as they walked toward the hospital and Sarah sighed. "We were all born here, except for Joe. Dad missed Danny but he was here for me and rode with Mama and Joe in the ambulance after he'd delivered him."

"Your dad delivered your brother?" Hank was incredulous and Ann was surprised. She thought for sure that Sarah would have told him the story.

"Their group of friends was at the beach that day because it was Dad and Mama's anniversary." Sarah nodded. "If I remember right, Joe was a couple of weeks overdue and they were starting to get a little anxious. But then Mama went into labor at the beach and it happened so fast, Dad didn't have time to get her to the hospital. He had to bring Joe into the world with a lot of coaching from her." She smiled at the memory. "I don't remember too much of it because Danny and I were at the hospital with Annie's parents and their friends, waiting."

"You weren't around yet were you Annie?" Hank grinned at her.

"Dad and Mama were still about a month away from getting married." She shook her head and smiled back at him. "But it was a story I heard more than once while I was growing up."

When they entered the hospital, the girls walked ahead of Hank down to the waiting room and Ann found their families and Evelyn gathered together. Red Winkle and his wife and Barbara Dearborn and her husband had joined them and there was no sign of Major or Mrs. McCawley. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing as Hank didn't hesitate to tell her.

Major Winkle was commenting to Dad about them all being together at Pearl Naval, waiting for news. Once again she knew that it meant something to them but she didn't know what it was.

Ann was anxious to know what was going on but she knew that it could take some time before the McCawley's would want to leave Danny, or when a doctor would come down and tell them what was happening with him. He looked so awful and she hoped that it was because of the sedation and the long trip.

"They'll be takin' him down to surgery in a few minutes." Major McCawley's voice sounded tired as he appeared in the waiting room. "Evelyn's goin' to stay with him until they do and I told her I'd tell y'all what the situation was."

"How is he Rafe?" Dad asked and Ann could see that he was worried.

"The doctor in Okinawa told me that Danny's leg was badly broken in the crash but they didn't want to do anything until the doctors here could take a look at it. They ain't sure if they can save it and if they do, Danny may never fly again." He looked absolutely devastated. "All that hard work for all those years and his flyin' career might be over before it really had a chance to get started."

"Does Danny know about any of this?" Ann didn't know where she found her voice to ask.

"No Annie, he doesn't. He's still heavily sedated and it's a decision he's goin' to have to make if it comes down to it. His mama and I can't make that call any more."

"If he can't fly, will he at least be able to stay in the Air Force?" She pressed.

"There ain't any reason why he can't stay in if he ends up losin' his leg. He'd have to settle for bein' a desk jockey or a flight instructor and I don't know if he'll want to do that." The major elaborated. "But we won't really know anythin' until he comes out of surgery."

"How long do you think it will take?" Major Winkle asked.

"The hell if I know Red. It just all depends on what the doctors find once they get in there and see how bad the damage is."

"How's Ev doing?" Mrs. Dearborn asked him. "She was hanging on by a thread while you were gone."

"I knew it would be hard on her havin' the both of us gone, but she backed me up the whole way if it meant that I could find our son. She's doin' better now that we're both home and alive. I think once Danny gets through this surgery and we know what we're facin', she'll be her old self."

"Is there anything we can do?" Mama wanted to know.

"Just do what you girls have always done, talk to each other. That's the best tonic I can think of." He answered. "I'm goin' back to Danny's room and stay with Evelyn. I have a feelin' she ain't goin' to leave until he comes back and she can see for herself that he came through it all right. Sarah why don't you and Joe come with me and see your brother, it might do him some good to have his family with him."

He started to walk out of the waiting room with Sarah and Joe behind him. Sarah shot her a sympathetic look before her father stopped suddenly, turned around and looked at Ann. "I'd ask you to come with us Annie, but the doctor will only allow Danny's immediate family."

"I understand." She said. "But would you ask the doctor if I could see him after the surgery? I just want to see for myself that he's all right."

"I'll ask him." He nodded. "Don't worry honey, I'll make sure you get a chance to see him."

"Thank you Major."

"Thank you for carin' so much for my son." He smiled at her before he turned around and put his arms around the shoulders of Sarah and Joe and walked out of the room.


	38. What Dreams May Come

__

The light from the full moon spilled through the partially opened blinds, which deepened the shadows inside the bedroom. It didn't matter because he knew his way around the room that hadn't changed in all the years he lived in it.

He'd taken Hank out for his bachelor party with the other pilots from their squadron and had probably drunk one more beer than he should have. He would have preferred to go back to his own quarters but he had turned his keys over to Hank's parents so they could be close to their son the night before his wedding.

His leg still hurt even though the cast had come off a month ago and he knew it was because he was pushing himself too hard. He didn't like being tied to a desk while his leg continued to heal and he had begun to hound his commander about getting back in the air.

It was to no avail because the flight surgeon would not release him to fly, not even in the P-40.

He needed to be up early to meet Hank at his quarters so that they could get ready before heading over to the Wheeler Chapel. It wasn't going to be a large wedding because it was the way he and she both wanted it but Hank had insisted on full dress uniforms for the both of them.

He'd picked his up from the dry cleaner earlier that afternoon and it hung on the back of the bedroom door.

He stripped down to his boxers and let his clothes fall where he took them off. He was too tired to put them away the way Mama taught them all to do and promised himself that he would take care of it in the morning.

He set his alarm so that he would have plenty of time to shower in the morning and then got into bed. He closed his eyes and began to drift off when he suddenly felt a soft, warm body curl up next to his. The feel of the hand that began to caress his chest was familiar and he opened his eyes to see Ann lying next to him.

"What are you doing here?" He should have been upset that she was there even though he had dreamt about it more than once.

"I'm here because it's what you want." She smiled at him in the pale moonlight and looked like an angel.

"It's what I want because I love you."

"I know because I love you too." She answered as she propped herself up on her elbow and leaned over to kiss him. She continued to caress his chest with her hand as her lips caressed his and Danny thought he would come out of his skin for wanting her so much. He got his arms around her waist and rolled to his side as he pulled her so close to him that she would have no doubt about what it was that he was feeling. He answered her light kisses with deeper ones of his own and she sighed as his own hands began to caress her shoulders and her arms.

His lips soon replaced his hands on her shoulders as he pushed the thin straps of her nightgown out of the way and her arms slowly wound their way around his neck. She smelled of talcum powder and it was a scent that was gentle, like she was. His hands and his lips continued to roam over her as she seemed to be trying to get closer to him and frustrated that she couldn't. "I can't hold you any closer Ann."

Her voice was a breathless whisper and it sent goose pimples down his arms. "You can hold me a lot closer."

"I really want to, but should I?" He asked, not wanting her to regret what was most assuredly going to happen.

"We might not get another chance and I don't want to pass it up." Her whisper was urgent and to drive her point home she kissed him. Not the shy, feather kisses that he'd become accustomed to but a deeply passionate kiss that he always coaxed her _with._

Ann didn't need to say anything else before he answered her kiss with one of his own. He then got her beneath him and proceeded to show her how much he loved her.

His eyes flashed open and he could feel the perspiration that had broken out across his forehead. His leg hurt like hell and he reached for the call button to get a nurse. The hospital room was dim except for the light that was on at the head of his bed and the bed next to his was empty. He tried to orient himself as to where he was because his dream was so real that he could have sworn he was in his old room.

It didn't take him long to realize why he'd dreamed of Ann in his bed. She was stretched out next to him on the opposite side of his elevated leg and I V drip. One of her hands was resting on his chest, over his heart and her head was on his shoulder. He didn't know how long she'd been there and couldn't imagine why her father would have allowed it. He lay quietly and listened to her even breathing and wondered if this was the first time that she'd really slept since he'd been shot down. He could smell her talcum powder and it made him smile with the memory of his dream.

"Lieutenant, did you call for a nurse?" A soft voice called to him from the door she held open and stepped into the room as the door closed behind her. "It's nice to see you finally awake."

"It's nice to finally _be_ awake. What time is it, what _day_ is it?" He asked quietly so he wouldn't wake Ann.

"It's about 6:30 and it's Thursday morning." She told him.

"How long have I been here?" He couldn't get his bearings because the room was so dark.

"You were brought back on a hospital ship from Okinawa a couple of days ago and went into surgery about a half-hour after you arrived." She smiled as she took his pulse. "Your leg was badly broken when you crashed and the doctor kept you sedated after the surgery to give it a chance to start healing."

He shook his head. "I knew how much it hurt but it never crossed my mind that it was broken."

"So who is Sleeping Beauty?"

"My girlfriend." He said and felt his face flush because it was the first time he'd ever said it out loud to anyone.

"She hasn't been very far from this room since you were brought back." The nurse commented as she wrapped the blood pressure cuff around his arm and inflated it. "You're a very lucky young man to have someone so devoted to you."

"Yes Ma'am, I know." He smiled.

"It took quite a bit of talking to the duty nurse to let her stay last night." She smiled again before she released the pressure on the cuff and took it off. "She's very headstrong."

Danny softly kissed her hair. "Yes Ma'am she is and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"So what is it that I can do for you Lieutenant?" She asked as she checked his chart.

"My leg really hurts, could I get something for the pain?" He requested and watched as the nurse scanned his chart.

"I'll take care of that right now. In the meantime, stay as still as you can and I'll be back." She told him as she turned and headed to the door.

"Thank you Ma'am."

"You're welcome Lieutenant." And she left the room.

__

Stay as still as you can. He shook his head at the idea. How could he when Ann was sleeping so trustingly against him?

__

It's what I want because I love you.

Mama always said that dreams were a way for your heart to tell you what it was that you really felt. And he wondered if his heart was telling him what he'd suspected before he flew out six weeks ago. He _had_ to take her home when he did that last night because there was no doubt in his mind that if she'd stayed any longer they would have made love and it wouldn't have been a dream.

It was an odd way to finally admit that he'd fallen in love with Ann but he had, deeply. And he suspected that she loved him just as much.

He knew now that the reason they weren't together before he left was that he wasn't sure how deep his feelings for her were. And if there were going to be any real intimacy between them it had to be because he loved her, anything less would have made it impossible. He wanted what was best for her, even when she didn't think it was and he never wanted to hurt her, for any reason.

The door opened again and the nurse had a small tray in her hands and on it Danny could see a syringe, a small vial and some cotton.

Jeez, he hated needles.

"I've brought a sedative that will help you relax and take care of that pain. If you feel like you want to go back to sleep don't fight it. It just means that the medication is doing its job." He must have had a look on his face that telegraphed his feeling about the needle and she smiled. "If you turn your head and don't watch what I'm doing then it isn't so bad."

He nodded before he turned his head as she suggested and waited for the inevitable stick. When it finally came he didn't fight the sudden drowsiness and he closed his eyes.

__

She gave him her love unselfishly that night and he tried to return it to her twofold.

It was the first time that he was able to know her in a way he hadn't been able to before and he gave her the opportunity to know him just as well. She was cradled in his arms as they lay together, her head rested on his shoulder and her hand lay over his heart.

"It will always be yours." He whispered and kissed her cheek.

"How about the rest of you?" She laughed softly and snuggled closer to him.

He smiled as he caressed the small of her back and kissed her. "The rest of me too Annie."

The hand that rested on his heart moved to his cheek as she held his gaze with her own. "I wish we were getting married tomorrow instead of Hank."

His smile turned into a grin. "Are your proposing?"

"I'm not doing any such thing." She feigned annoyance. "Besides, if anyone is going to propose it's going to be you_."_

"Well I suppose it's only fair since you finally got to ravish me the way you wanted to the night of the dance." He laughed as he kissed her again and when he loosened his hold on her she was smiling at him.

"And you didn't want to ravish me I suppose." She was direct as always.

He brushed the damp hair off of her forehead before he kissed the warm skin. "I wanted to more than you know."

She buried her face in his shoulder and he heard her muffled answer. "I knew how much. You let me know it without saying a word."

So he did.

"You always seem to know what I want before I do, how is that?"

"It's because you're so easy to read and not too hard on the eyes either." She said with a laugh. "But that's not what I meant."

He felt a flush start to creep up his neck. "I know what you meant Ann."

"I know, I just wanted to see your face when I said it." She admitted before she kissed him and got him to love her all over again.

Ann wasn't there.

He didn't know if that was what woke him but a glance at the empty space next to him on the narrow hospital bed confirmed it.

"Danny took her home son." The sound of his father's familiar drawl told him that he was indeed home. He got up from the chair he'd been sitting in, set a book down on the empty seat and approached the side of his bed.

"Hi Dad."

Dad grinned as he ruffled his hair, the way he'd done when Danny was still a child. "Hi yourself. You looked as though you were havin' a pleasant dream."

Danny could feel his skin warm from a flush he knew was coming and tried to keep himself from smiling so his father wouldn't guess what it might be. "It was."

"I guess I don't need to ask who you were dreamin' about." His grin got wider.

It was then that he let himself smile. "Only because you probably know."

"I was young and in love once myself Danny. I may not be so young anymore, but I still love your mama."

"I think I knew it before I left but I didn't want to say anything to her unless I was absolutely sure." Danny admitted to his father. "I do love her Dad and being separated from her for these last few weeks was harder than I ever thought it could be."

"It was hard on her too. Danny told me that she wasn't sleepin' too well while you were missin'." He sighed. "It wasn't exactly a day at the beach for your mama and me either."

Danny nodded, acknowledging that his parent's had worried about him as much and probably a lot more than Ann had. He was Rafe and Evelyn McCawley's first born child and the foundation to their long and happy marriage. "How is it possible?"

"What's that son?"

"How could this happen to us again?" He wasn't sure he could put what he was feeling into words. "What I mean is, you were shot down in two different wars and now it's happened to me in this one. How in the hell could that happen?"

Dad sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. "I don't really know. Your granddaddy would call it McCawley luck, which ain't no luck at all."

Danny laughed. "The McCawley luck can't be _all _bad. After all, he found Grams, you found Mama and I found Ann."

"When you put it that way, you're right." He smiled back. "But as far as you bein' shot down it's a risk any combat pilot takes when he climbs into his plane. You ask me why was it us and that's all I can tell you, it's a risk."

"Do you know what happened? When I crashed, I mean."

He looked a little surprised. "Don't you remember anythin'?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I remember getting hit, but with _what_ exactly I don't know. I heard Hank radio our position and told me that he'd stay with me as long as he could."

"He did."

"I know. But then he started coming under fire himself and I told him to get the hell out of there. He didn't want to do it but he eventually left and I don't think I ever felt so alone in my life. As long as he was in the air I wasn't worried because I knew he was keeping an eye on me. But once he was gone, I got scared."

"It's natural Danny. You find yourself in a situation where you have to rely on your wits and the brains that the good Lord gave you. The survival trainin' you got was somethin' that probably saved your life."

"You know Dad, I still can't figure out how I didn't get caught. There was VC everywhere and with my broken leg, I should have been an easy target."

"I know it's hard to do, but you need to stop questionin' it and just be glad that you're home safe and sound."

He sighed. "Believe me I am. There were so many things that happened to me that could have or _should_ have turned out differently, but they didn't and here I am."

"And don't think that your mama ain't happy about that. The doctor told us that you need to stay in bed for a couple of weeks after you're discharged and Mama wants you to stay with us after you get out of here. He says that if you try to do too much for yourself that the leg won't heal right and it could decide whether you get reactivated or not."

Danny didn't like the way that sounded. "What aren't you telling me Dad?"

His father sighed and looked as though he were trying to choose his words carefully. "They considered takin' the leg Danny." Dad finally said and he was stunned. "One of the doctors came and talked to us before you went into surgery and told us that there was a good chance that they could repair the damage but until they could get a good look they couldn't be sure. We told him that he needed to do everythin' he could to save it."

"You didn't tell him they could do it, did you?"

His father shook his head. "It wasn't right that Mama and I made a decision like that for you. We figured if they were goin' to take it they were goin' to have to talk to you and let _you_ make that decision."

"Am I going to be able to fly again?"

"I don't rightly know. If you do everythin' that the doctor tells you and don't try to get up on that leg sooner than you know you should I don't see why not. But I ain't a doctor."

He could feel tears begin to pool in his eyes and blinked to stop them. "What am I if I'm not a pilot?"

"You're an Air Force Academy graduate for one and that ain't no small feat. You've got a degree in Aeronautical Engineerin' and you could put it to good use if it comes to that. You're also my son and your mama's and a brother to Sarah and Joseph. You've been lucky enough to find a nice girl and if you play your cards right, she'll be the one you settle down with.

"You've worked real hard for what you have Danny and Mama and I are more proud of you than you'll ever know. But as your grandmother would say, if life hands you lemons then you make lemonade. So if it turns out that you can't fly anymore you find somethin' else to do."

"I'm feeling sorry for myself, aren't I?" He sighed and swiped at his damp eyes.

"You are, but it's understandable. You worked hard and gave up a lot to get into the Academy and you worked even harder and gave up even more once you got there. You set a clear goal for yourself and you accomplished it. But the one thing that you need to keep in mind now is that if you want to make Ann a permanent part of your life she's goin' to have to become a part of your decision makin' because what you do affects her."

"I know."

Dad brushed the hair back from his forehead again and Danny saw tears in his eyes. "It's so hard for me to believe sometimes that my little boy who cried because he was pushin' himself too hard when he was learnin' to walk has grown into a man. And the whole time you were missin' I couldn't help but wish that we were back in those days when Mama and I could protect you."

"I know Dad."

"Why don't you try and get some more sleep, it'll help the leg." He suggested as he picked up his book and sat down in the chair.

"I feel like I've been sleeping for a month. I don't think I can sleep anymore."

"Just close your eyes and if your body still needs the rest, then you'll go to sleep." Dad reasoned.

"All right." He agreed and closed his eyes.

__

"It's what I want because I love you."

"I know because I love you too."


	39. Recovery

For a guy who was so used to being on the move, lying in a hospital bed with a broken leg was something that Lieutenant Daniel McCawley had no use for. He had no use for feeling like a three-year-old child either, who couldn't do the simplest things by himself.

But that's the way it was for him at the moment and he hated it.

He was finally taken off sedation two weeks after the surgery to repair his leg because it had begun to mend the way the doctor hoped and it looked as though Danny might finally be able to get out of bed. It would only be as far as a wheelchair, but it meant being able to look at something other than his four walls. He knew that he was becoming a difficult patient but that was only because he wanted to go home, and not to his parents house.

That was out of his hands though because even after he was discharged from the hospital he needed to stay in bed and Mama decided that it would be better if he had someone around to help him. He didn't want to talk to Dad about it because he didn't want to hurt his mother's feelings but when it came time to leave the hospital he wanted to go home to his quarters and sleep in his own bed.

Ann was at the hospital every day to see him and tell him about her first year of college. She sounded so enthusiastic and excited and Danny was happy for her but because of the dream he'd had about them, found it difficult to look her in the eye. It wasn't as though it had actually happened, but he couldn't help but feel that he'd betrayed a trust in some way because he'd dreamed about it.

"Hey Lieutenant, I hear you might actually get around to see some of those pretty nurses today." Danny's attention was drawn to the door and his best friend was grinning at him. "I just saw your mother and she said the doctor might put you in a wheelchair for a little while."

"Those nurses might be pretty, but they aren't Ann." He smiled back.

"They aren't Evelyn either, but they _are_ still pretty." Hank shot back as he walked into the room and Danny wondered if his friend understood what he'd just said. True to his word though, Danny wasn't going to bring it up. "So how are you feeling?"

"Like a guy who's been lying in bed for the last three weeks." He sighed.

"I know this isn't easy Dan, but you want that leg to heal so you can get back in the air."

Danny frowned. "I know that."

"That's not what's really bothering you though, is it?" Hank asked him. "You look like a guy with something on his mind and I'll bet that it has to do with Ann."

_How in the hell did he know that? _

"You probably don't realize it, but you're pushing her away. She's been here every day, whether you've been conscious or not to see how you're doing. When you _have_ been conscious you've been too distant with her and she doesn't know why." Hank told him. "What aren't you telling her?"

"What makes you think I'm keeping anything from her?" Danny hedged, knowing of course that Hank was right. "And since when has she talked to you about _us_?"

"Since you got your ass shot down a few weeks ago, that's when. So what aren't you telling her?" He persisted. "Dan, you're going to end up telling one of us and if it can't be her then it's going to have to be me."

"You're making a federal case out of this and it isn't that serious." He tried to hold his friend off.

"_She_ thinks it is because you don't seem happy to see her. And if she thinks it's serious, so do I." He was beginning to sound irritated and whether Ann liked it or not, she'd been adopted by Hank as a little sister. And that meant he was going to be overprotective of her, _especially_ with Danny.

"I had a dream about her, about us." Danny corrected himself and sighed before he finally spilled the beans. "I had a dream that I shouldn't have and it's made things awkward for me, to say the least."

"We don't have control over our dreams, you know that. And it seems to me that whatever it was really shook you up." He sat down in the chair next to Danny's bed. "Usually what we dream about are our greatest hopes or our greatest fears because we can't face them in the light of day. So was it a hope or a fear?"

"Both I guess." He wasn't trying to stall this time, but he just didn't know how to describe it.

"Just tell me what the dream was." Hank seemed to sense his hesitation. "How did it start? Where were you and were you by yourself?"

_It was Hank's bachelor party. _

"I was in my old room at my parent's house." Danny started and then he smiled. "I had to sleep in my old room because your parent's came to Pearl for your wedding and they were staying in my quarters."

"My wedding? To who?" His ears began to turn red and Danny wondered if he might know who the mystery bride was.

"I don't know. I just remember the rest of the guys in our squadron and I took you out for a few drinks the night before you got married and I couldn't go back to my quarters because your folks were there."

Hank grinned. "Thanks Dan, I'm sure they appreciated that."

"They thought I was a peach." He laughed and then winced as he leg throbbed from the sudden movement. "Damn, I have to remember not to do that."

"So I was getting married." He prompted. "Is that what you can't tell Ann?"

"Don't be a smart-ass, of course that isn't it." He paused and tried to be as succinct as possible. "I went back to my parent's house to sleep there and I remember that I didn't turn on a light because I could see well enough to get around the room and find the bed."

Hank seemed to understand where Danny was going and nodded. "Let me take a wild guess and say that you weren't alone."

"At first I was but then she seemed to appear out of nowhere."

"Should I ask where she appeared?"

"In my bed."

"Was she naked?" He grinned.

"Hey!" Danny could feel the inevitable flush start up his neck.

"Were you?" And then he laughed.

"This isn't funny!" Danny protested his friend's amusement at his expense. "This is serious!"

"I know it is." Hank nodded again and with some effort grew serious. "I don't suppose I need to ask if you made love?"

"That's why I'm having such a hard time looking at her." Danny admitted with a nod of his own and felt his own ears warm with a flush. "It's the one thing we can't do even though we came too close before I flew out and yet I dreamt about it anyway."

"Dan, that's exactly _why_ you did. You and Ann made a promise to your parents, but it doesn't mean that it's been easy. This way, you got an idea of what it could be like when it happens."

"It was too damn real. Of course it didn't help that when I woke up she was sleeping next to me." Danny told him and couldn't help but smile.

"You liked that, did you?" He grinned again. "How is it that her father let her stay?"

"From what the nurse told me I don't think Major Walker had much to say about it. Besides, I was unconscious with a broken leg. What could happen?"

"You've got a point there. So how _did_ it feel having her so close to you after having that dream?"

"If I hadn't been so sedated and my leg shattered, I would have been hard pressed not to make that dream come true."

Hank laughed. "But if your leg _hadn't _been broken there is no way that her father would have let her stay there with you."

"You don't know Ann." Danny smiled back. "So I guess that's the _one_ good thing about having a broken leg."

"Let's just keep a good thought that it continues to heal the way it's supposed to so I can get my wingman back." Hank sighed. "Taylor is a good pilot but he's not you."

"You're spoiled Henry because we roomed together for four years and learned to fly together. Have some patience with the guy will you? He's probably not too thrilled to be flying with you either." He grinned.

"Thanks, I needed that." Hank grinned back before he stood up. "I need to push off now. We're being briefed for another mission and I promised the commander I wouldn't be long."

"You're going out again?" Danny was envious, and scared. His career as a pilot was in doubt because of his leg and he wanted so much to be back in the air. "I guess the Air Force wasn't kidding when they activated us."

"They weren't kidding Dan, which is why you need to get that leg healed. We need you back in the squadron."

"I read you."

"Do you know what else you need to do? You need to tell Ann how much you love her." Hank added to his astonishment. "You haven't told me as much, but I saw the way you kissed her when we came back from our first mission and I saw the look in your eyes the first time you saw her when she came here to see you. You've been denying it for the longest time; to her or to yourself I don't know. But after what's happened she needs to know how you feel about her."

"What if she doesn't feel the same way?" Danny voiced his worry.

"I don't think that's something you need to worry about because I happen to think that she loves you too. She might just be waiting to hear it from you first." His look was serious. "This isn't any of my business but I'm going to ask anyway. Have you kissed her since you got back?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then I think it's damn time you did. Hold her as close as you can, kiss her as though it's for the last time and tell her how you feel about her. She had a really hard time while you were missing and tried to put on a brave front so her family wouldn't worry. Now I understand that you've been sedated for most of the time that you've been home but when you were conscious you never took the opportunity. I'm telling you now, especially since you're off the sedation now to take it. She deserves it and so do you."

Hank was never one to make speeches and it must have been weighing on his mind for him to say something at that moment. "You really think I should tell her?"

"Hell yes, and the sooner the better! She needs to know that you still have feelings for her."

"Message received Lieutenant." Danny sighed. "Received and understood."

"Very good." And he opened the door. "I'll be back later to check in on you."

"You don't have to do that Hank."

Hank nodded. "I know. But Ann and your family weren't the only ones who were worried."

He was gone.

Hank was right; Danny did need to tell Ann how he felt because she had the right to know. But having never told a girl how he felt about her, he didn't know how to go about it. He did know that the time had to be right and done in the right way. It was something that he wanted her to remember with a smile.

"You're awake." Danny looked up and saw Ann at the door. The look on her face was guarded and knew that he was the cause.

"My doctor took me off the heavy sedation this morning. My leg is starting to heal the way he wants it to and it doesn't hurt as badly." He told her as she stayed by the door even as it closed.

"Does that mean that you'll be able to fly again?"

"It's too soon to tell about that Annie." He admitted to her. "It's only been a couple of weeks since the surgery and it's going to be at least a month before the doctor can tell me anything definitive."

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'd feel a lot better if you would come over here. Do you know how long it's been since I've kissed you?"

"Do you?" She answered his question with a question.

"It's been eleven weeks and three days." He stopped to make a quick mental calculation before he continued. "Make that three days, eighteen hours and ten minutes give or take thirty seconds. That's nearly three months and if you'll give me a chance, I'd like to make it up to you. I won't be able to kiss you the way I really want to, but it'll have to do until I get back on my feet."

"Why now?" She didn't move.

"Because I've missed you and I'm sorry that I haven't behaved as though I'm happy to see you because I am." He tried to coax her closer to his side and decided that he should tell her about his dream so that she would understand. "There _is_ a reason that I've been putting you off and I want to tell you about it. But you're going to need to come a lot closer."

She wouldn't budge. "Give me one good reason why I should."

"I love you."

_So much for the right time and the right way. _

"You love me?" She looked absolutely stunned. He knew he'd caught her off guard with his declaration and wasn't prepared to hear it.

"Yes. And I'm hoping that you might feel something like that for me." Danny could feel his heart pounding double time because he'd taken the plunge, in a manner of speaking and he couldn't take it back. Not that he wanted to. "I'll prove it to you if you give me the chance."

"You love me." She repeated and Danny's heart began to sink.

_She didn't feel the same way._

Ann walked toward him and didn't stop until she'd come to his bedside. "Then tell me why you've been pushing me away."

"Because we made love."

"No we didn't, you _know_ that." He watched as her face turned red and looked at the floor.

He reached for her hand and took it in his. He willed her to look at him and when she didn't he plowed ahead anyway. "I had a dream that we did and that's why I was being such an idiot. I felt as though I'd broken my promise even though we didn't actually do it."

"Were you sorry, in the dream?" She looked up at him with some hesitance.

"I was never happier." He answered honestly and squeezed her hand.

"That's good to know because there's something that I need to tell you too." She smiled at him tentatively and to Danny's surprise sat down on the edge of the bed. "But before I say anything _you_ have something to make up for."

He smiled. "You have to come closer if I'm going to do that."

"How close would you like me to be?" She laughed softly and he realized how much he'd missed hearing the sound of it.

"I'll let you know." He told her as she leaned toward him and stopped.

Ann was being a tease and it was a side of her he didn't know very well, but it was definitely a side he wanted to get to know better.

"That's not close enough Miss Ann, by a long shot." He laughed and wanted nothing more at that moment than to make his dream a reality.

She leaned in closer until her lips hovered just above his. "How's this?"

"Let me show you what I mean." His voice was low as he took her face in his hands and brought her lips to his. The softness of her skin against his sent a jolt through him from the memory of their time together before he flew out and as a consequence a jolt of pain through his leg.

She must have felt him tense and pulled away. "Are you all right?"

"Nothing that having you in my arms won't help." He assured her as the pain subsided and he drew her back to him and kissed her again.

There was no shock the second time, only warmth that slowly spread through his body as she kissed him back. He heard her shoes hit the tile floor as she stretched out next to him and his arms moved around her waist to hold her close. Her hands grasped his shoulders in a grip that was firm as she seemed to be reassuring herself that what was happening between them wasn't a dream and that he was really there.

She sighed and it sent goose pimples down his arms as she pulled away again, but not out of his arms. She was flushed and her eyes had a sparkle he'd never seen before. When she smiled at him he realized that the sparkle was from unshed tears. "I love you."

It was Danny's turn to be stunned.

"It took you getting shot down and not knowing if you were alive or not for me to finally admit it to myself." She said as she settled in his arms and put her head down on his shoulder.

"Did you ever think that I might not have made it?" He asked and tightened his hold on her as she snuggled closer to him.

Ann shook her head. "I was more afraid that you were a prisoner of war. It would have been more merciful if you _hadn't _survived the crash."

"I thought a lot about that after I crashed." Danny nodded in agreement. "I couldn't move around much because of my leg and my head hurt from the impact. And all I could think of was staying out of sight, hoping that I would end up in friendly hands."

"They couldn't have gotten friendlier than your dad's." She sighed again and the contentment he'd felt in his dream overcame him then and made him smile.

"I sure prefer _yours_."

As though to answer an unspoken request, she began to caress his arm.

"That's not exactly where I want your hands to be." He grinned.

"I know, but it's the best I can do for now because you're on your back." She understood what he meant. "You'll just have to take a rain check for the time when you're on your feet again."

"With an incentive like that, I'll take it."

They were both quiet then as Danny held Ann close to him as her hand moved to skim his chest that was covered by the starched hospital gown. It was an impediment to what he wanted her hand to be touching but he had to content himself with it being so close. She was with him and she loved him.

"Danny, what was it like?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "How did it feel?"

_She was asking about his dream. _"I don't know if I can explain it."

"Please try." She persisted. "I've thought about it, especially after you got shot down but never dreamed about it."

"What were you thinking?" He was curious because he had no idea how girls looked at these sorts of things. Sarah never talked about it with him, even with their close relationship.

"It's never been so much about what it would be like, but more about where it would be." She answered. "I know what happens because Mama made sure that all of us knew about the facts of life. So as far as that goes, I know what to expect."

"Where would you like it to be?" He wanted to know so that when the time came, he could make her wish come true.

"I thought about the King Kamehameha Suite at the Royal Hawaiian, where Dad and Mama spent their honeymoon." She revealed. "It always sounded so romantic and I couldn't think of a nicer place to finally be together. They never had to leave the hotel grounds because everything was there for them, the restaurant, the beach and a beautiful garden for them to walk through. It was a week of perfect seclusion for them to start getting to know each other without any outside interference."

"Mama was always a little envious that your parent's had a honeymoon and they didn't, but I think Dad's going to fix that."

She propped herself up on her elbow and Danny tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Their twenty-fifth anniversary is the year after next and he and Mama decided to renew their vows at the Hickam Chapel. What he hasn't told her is that he's booked the King Kamehameha Suite for a whole week so they can finally have the honeymoon they always wanted but never found the time for."

"Your father is a very romantic man to plan something like that for your mother." Ann commented as she lay her head back on his shoulder and continued to run her hand across his chest, making him damn his broken leg.

"It's easy to be romantic for the woman who has your heart." He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"And you still haven't told me what it was like."

_There was no derailing that train of thought, was there?_

"Do you remember the afternoon before I flew out and how close we came?" He felt a nod. "It was a lot like that, but it was better."

"How?"

"Because I got to show you how much I love you and you loved me in the same way." It was the best he could do to try and explain it. "You also kissed me in a way that you're usually too shy to do."

"The way you usually kiss me." Her voice was soft and she was beginning to tremble.

"The way I usually kiss you." He nodded. "It was a really nice dream and I'm hoping that one of these days it doesn't have to be a dream any more."

"It could always be a belated birthday present." Ann laughed.

"We already talked about that, remember?"

"I know. I just thought I'd mention it again." Danny heard the lightness in her voice and knew that she wasn't being _completely _serious.

He began to caress the small of her back and wished that it wasn't the feel of her dress under his hand. "Is this part of the healing process that I don't know about? You get me to do everything that my doctor tells me to do on the off chance that I'll actually let us go through with it?"

"You can't blame a girl for trying."

"You wouldn't be _you_ Annie if you didn't." He smiled. "I sure wish that I'd been here for your birthday. But I promise that I'll make it up to you."

"I wish you'd been here too, but the important thing is that you're here now." Ann settled in his embrace and although he wasn't sedated anymore his eyes slowly closed and he fell into a peaceful sleep. The girl he had fallen in love with was in love with him too and the feel of her in his arms was even better than it had been in his dream because it was real.

As to what it would feel like to finally make love, they would find that out when the time was right.


	40. Change Of Heart

"So you finally told her. It's about time."

Danny smiled at his friend as she sat in the chair by his bed. "Hank said the same thing. And what makes it even better is that she loves me too."

"She really is a sweet girl Dan and perfectly suited for you." Evelyn added. "I watch the way that you two play off of each other and I must admit that I get a little jealous."

Danny was puzzled at her remark. He'd observed the word play between Evelyn and Hank when they'd ended up in his room at the same time and it sounded much like what happened between Annie and him. He was more convinced than ever that something was developing between his friends and something had to be done to get them to see it. He just didn't know what.

"You shouldn't be." Danny was treading into eggshell territory and he knew it, but he needed to start somewhere. "You and Hank sound the same way and you aren't even dating."

"We most certainly do _not_." She sounded too defensive. "Henry Metcalf is too cocky by half."

"No more than a lot of the pilots on base are." Danny challenged her. "You won't give any of them the time of day and yet Hank seems to have gotten under your skin. How is that?"

"You're imagining things." She frowned and he got the feeling that his suspicion was on target.

"If I am then why does your face flush every time I mention his name?" He pressed and Evelyn looked at him with a frown.

"Because you're seeing something that isn't there and I wish you'd let it go."

"I think I'm seeing two people who like being in each other's company and neither one has the courage to admit it." Danny threw down the gauntlet. "The both of you sparkle like Independence Day fireworks when the other is near and it frustrates me that you won't do anything about it. Hank is a really good guy, which I know you already know and you are one of the nicest girls I've ever met."

"Thanks." She smiled.

"I'm not done yet." He stopped her. "You've had this rule in place about not dating servicemen and I know it's because of your mother and what she went through. But you seem to forget that your dad was in the Navy when they met and she married him."

"But Dad was stateside during the war. Mom didn't have to worry about something happening to him."

It started to come together and Danny thought he was beginning to understand. "This doesn't have anything to do with your mother, does it? She fell for a guy and lost him and you're afraid that if you let yourself fall for someone the way she did, you'll end up the same way."

"That's ridiculous!" She looked flustered and Danny knew that he'd guessed right.

"Evelyn, Hank's a pilot and we're at war." He was stating the obvious but he wanted her to hear it. "You have to admit that he's been luckier than I have so far and that's got to count for something. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy because as long as we have to keep flying combat missions, there's always a chance that something could happen. I guess what you need to do is decide if he means anything to you and if he does, is he worth taking a risk for?"

"If I tell you something you have to promise me that you won't repeat it to anyone. I won't include Ann in that because you shouldn't keep secrets from her."

"I appreciate that. But when you say anyone, do you really mean Hank?"

"Just promise me." She refused to answer him and Danny nodded in agreement.

"When you were missing and your dad was worrying himself into a state, Hank talked about going out and trying to find you himself." She said quietly. "I ran into him one afternoon after the decision came down to scale back the search and I knew that once they did that it would only be a matter of time before they called it off all together.

"He told me that your dad had been to his commander about going out himself and Hank wanted to go with him. They wouldn't let him of course because he was off rotation and you know that means pilots are restricted to training flights and nothing else."

Evelyn was taking her time in getting to her point and Danny tried not to sigh. "So what are you trying to tell me?"

"I was already worried about you because there hadn't been any news and Ann was being stoic about it. But when Hank talked about going after you I got scared, I mean really scared." The look on her face was earnest as she tried to explain to him what she'd gone through. "That's why I've insisted on keeping my work life separate from my private life. I don't want the two to merge."

"Did you go out to the field to see him when our squadron came back?"

She shook her head. "I thought about it, but I didn't want him to get the wrong idea."

"What idea would that be? That you were happy that he came back alive, that he didn't have to be brought back sedated on a hospital ship?" Evelyn Ahern was just as stubborn as Henry Metcalf was, if not more so and Danny was at his wits end.

"That's not fair!" She stood up and walked to the side of the bed. "You're judging my decisions and me and it's not fair."

"I'm not judging you; I'm just trying to understand." He told her as he ran a hand through his hair. "Tell me honestly what it is that you feel for him."

She didn't hesitate. "I don't know."

"Evelyn, the hardest thing for a person to admit is when they feel something for someone or _don't_ for that matter. I went through four years at the Academy with an AWOL girlfriend and Hank urging me the whole time to break things off with her." Danny tried to explain to her.

"He knew as well as I did that Caroline didn't love me or even care for me but I insisted on hanging on to a relationship that was nonexistent. You've got the opposite problem. There is a really nice guy that I think you care for but won't admit it to yourself because of what could happen."

Evelyn looked so solemn with her reply. "I'm not cut out to be a military girlfriend. I want to know that the man I'm involved with is going to be around, that something bad won't happen to him."

"We don't get those kinds of guarantees in life. Your mother found that out the hard way but she opened her heart again and found your dad. And even if Hank were a civilian something could happen to him and you couldn't say that it was because he was a combat pilot."

The look she gave him was one of irritation. "All right Dan, let's play it your way for a moment. Let's say that I put myself out on a limb only to find out that Hank doesn't see me as anything more than a friend. Then what do I do?"

"If I believed that he didn't see you as something more, I wouldn't have brought it up. The fact is, my sister broke up with him because she believed that he had feelings for you that he was unwilling to even consider."

The look of surprise on Evelyn's face surprised _him_ because he thought for sure that she at least suspected it.

"He's just as uncertain about this as you are and I think that it's well past time that the both of you talk about it. You should take the opportunity to get to know each other and decide if you want it to work into a relationship."

"That's easy for you to say, you've _got_ a girlfriend." She commented.

It annoyed Danny that she tried to make it so simple and wanted to set her straight. "It's _not_ easy because nothing was preordained when it came to Ann and me. I could have been like Hank and Sarah, hanging on to a relationship that wasn't going to progress farther than it had already. I had plenty of excuses at the time and I used them with regularity because my focus wasn't on her, it was on the Academy.

"But once I graduated and got my commission I had to face the fact that I was cheating myself out of finding someone that I could share my life with because I knew Caroline wasn't it. I didn't know that Ann _was_, I had to figure it out."

"So if he _is_ interested how do I go about finding out?" Evelyn asked before she sat back down in the chair.

"Start out with something simple. Go for a walk on the beach, have lunch with him in the Officer's Dining Room if he asks you or a casual dinner at the Black Cat. You've already been there so at least it's familiar and you might be a little more comfortable." He looked at her and tried one last appeal. "Just give him a chance Evelyn, please."

She looked up at him and Danny could see the turmoil on her face. "If it were anyone else I'd tell them to take a flying leap."

"Does this mean that you'll think about it?" He asked as gently as he could.

Evelyn nodded and stood up. "I'll think about it, I will."

"That's all I'm asking you to do." He let out a silent sigh of relief that he at least got her to do _that_ much.

The door opened suddenly and a grinning Hank walked into the room. "Hey Romeo!"

Evelyn glanced at Danny and he could see that she was trying not to roll her eyes, but there _was_ a smile on her face when she turned to face him. "Henry, you seem to have forgotten your Shakespeare. Romeo killed himself."

"A mere detail Ev." He waved his hand in mock dismissal. "Danny will have better luck."

"Oh, brother." She shook her head in feigned dismay and turned back to Danny. "I must say that you look much better than the last time I saw you and I'm glad that your leg is starting to heal. It sounds like it's a very good omen for you getting back into the air."

"I hope so Evelyn." He replied as she leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I won't tell Ann I saw that." Hank promised as he walked into the room.

"Don't be so annoying Henry, there's nothing to tell her and you know it." She tried to stare him down and only succeeded in flushing.

"But I'm so good at it." He laughed. "If anyone would know that it would _definitely_ be you."

"I'll be back soon." Evelyn ignored Hank as she talked to Danny. "I haven't seen Ann in awhile so please tell her I say hello when you see her."

"I will." And he watched as she brushed past Hank.

"No goodbye for _me_?" Hank asked as she reached the door and opened it.

"You're not worth it." She shot back and left the room.

Danny looked at his friend and frowned. "Why do you insist on doing that? If you want her to start taking you seriously, that sure as hell isn't going to help."

"But that's part of my charm Dan. If I didn't do it, she'd wonder what was wrong with me." He was unapologetic about his behavior.

"You really have decided to go full steam ahead, haven't you?" Danny felt as though he'd missed something during the time he was under sedation. "The last time we really talked about this you were still balking at doing anything."

"Damn the torpedoes and all of that." He said. "I did some talking with Ann, too and she's just as stubborn as you are when it comes to Ev and me."

_There it was again, he said Ev. _

The urge to say something was strong, but a promise was a promise. "So she kept you in line while I was gone?"

"My dad would say she's a keeper Dan. And I think you should keep her." Hank grinned at him.

_Hadn't Evelyn said the same thing? _He couldn't remember.

"That's my intention."

"Are you thinking about marriage already?" His grin was gone and his look was dead serious.

"Marriage?" The thought hadn't crossed his mind; he was still getting used to the idea that Ann loved him. "Why would I be thinking about that? I'm laid up in a hospital bed; my career as a pilot may be in jeopardy and she just started her freshman year in college."

"Then what _did_ you mean?" Danny could hear the concern in his voice. But was that concern for him or for Ann?

"I love Ann, but I'm not ready to make a lifetime commitment to her yet. We need to take the time to get to know each other as more than our father's children. Besides, I want her to finish school before we decide on anything permanent."

"You're willing to wait for four more years?" Hank was more than a little incredulous.

"_Her_ parent's waited that long mostly because mine _didn't. _And as hard as it's going to be, I don't want go through with something that means Ann might not graduate from college and we have to get married sooner than we were ready for." He was getting tired of having to repeat his reasons for waiting, or was it that he was justifying them? "It would disappoint our parent's because we would be repeating a history they don't want repeated, it's as simple as that."

"All right Dan, I give. You have your mind made up about this and I won't give you a hard time about it any more."

"_Thank_ you." Danny sighed and wondered if this would really be the end of it. "So, if you've decided that you're ready to give it a try with Evelyn, do you have something in mind?"

"Not a thing." He answered bluntly. "She's keeping me at arm's length and won't give me a chance to broach anything with her."

"Well gee Henry, I wonder why?" Danny was deliberately sarcastic. "You're going out of your way to be a complete ass around her when all you want her to do is take you seriously. If you want her to do that you have to stop being the class clown."

"That's squadron clown to you Lieutenant." Hank grinned.

"Be serious will you?" He wasn't amused. "Evelyn is scared. She's hesitating mainly because she doesn't want to deal with the possibility of something happening to you and she's left behind to grieve. You have to be able to convince her that you're worth taking that risk on. But if what I just saw is a recurring thing I'm starting to think that I was wrong in telling her to take a chance on you."

That wiped the grin off of his face. "You did that for me?"

"You're my best friend; of course I did that for you! But if you don't wise up and start taking her seriously as a prospective girlfriend, she won't take _you _seriously." He finished.

Hank sat down in the chair next to the bed as the gravity of what Danny told him seemed to sink in. "I don't want to mess this up."

"Then don't. Stop egging her on and stop trying to get her to react. Treat her like you would Ann or Sarah and she might just surprise you."

"I don't think she'll go for the Black Cat, but she might accept lunch at the Officer's Dining Room." He thought out loud.

"There's only one way to find out Henry, you need to ask her."

He stood up and walked to the side of the bed. "This was so much easier with Sarah."

Danny nodded. "I'm sure it was. You and Sarah hit it off right away but it wasn't enough to see anything through. You've been at odds with Evelyn since she got here and some of that was from the beginning because you thought she was a threat to Ann and me. The fact is she's not going to make it easy for you to smooth things over."

"I know." He admitted.

"Well then Lieutenant, you've got some fences to mend. And you're not going to do it standing here jawing with me, so get the hell out of here so I can get some sleep."

"I thought they took you off the sedation." He looked concerned.

"They took me off the _heavy_ sedation that was keeping me knocked out so much." Danny clarified. "But they're still giving me enough so that I get a full nights sleep and stay relaxed when I'm awake."

"Has the doctor told you when he's going to release you?"

"He says it's probably going to be another couple of weeks. He wants me to be able to get up on crutches for short periods in the next few days so that I can start doing some things for myself. But it doesn't change the fact that he wants me to stay in bed even after I'm discharged."

"It's got to be rough Dan, being waited on hand and foot." Hank smiled at him.

Danny laughed in response. "But I had to pay a hell of a price for the privilege. I'd rather be taking care of myself with two good legs."

"I know you do and that will come with time. You've got a determination that got you through the Academy and it's going to get you through this."

"That's my plan. I'm an Air Force pilot and I plan on remaining an Air Force pilot." He vowed.

"I'm glad to hear that because you're the only wingman I want."

"Because I'm the only one who puts up with you." Danny quipped. "Hank, don't put off talking to Evelyn. Decide what it is that you want to do and _ask_. I'm expecting a full report the next time you come to visit."

He stopped at the door. "I'll see what I can do."

"I'm counting on it." He replied and Hank was gone.

Their future was in his hands.


	41. Going Home

It seemed an eternity, but Danny was finally being released from the hospital.

The morning his doctor signed the release forms he told Danny that he would be allowed to sit up in bed or on the sofa but he was under strict orders to limit his time on crutches. His leg was on the mend and progressing the way the doctor wanted it to but he also said that Danny was going to have to be patient. Walking on it was out of the question and even with the aid of crutches, it put pressure on the leg he would just a soon avoid.

Danny agreed, reluctantly even though he knew his doctor was right.

He'd been allowed to get out of bed a few days before he was released so he could practice getting around on his crutches. There was always an orderly with him in case he lost his balance and it happened more than once. It worried him when it did because he didn't want to undo all of the progress he'd made and go back to square one. They always seemed to take it in their stride when Danny would panic and would tell him to relax. They would reassure him that his body was much more resilient than he thought it was and because of the care he was taking he would be just fine.

The afternoon he was released he sat in a wheelchair with his broken leg elevated, waiting to roll out the door. He looked around at the room that he'd had to call home for the past few weeks and was relieved that he wouldn't have to see it again. His mother had packed up his get-well cards and notes and taken them out to the car while he looked at all of the flowers he'd received from his family, his friends and people from the base.

When he'd had the opportunity to roll around the halls in a wheel chair, he saw more than a few rooms with occupants that were alone and had none of the cheery blooms that he'd been fortunate enough to have. He'd asked the nurse that morning if she would take the flowers to rooms that didn't have any because they should have the chance to enjoy them too.

His mother asked what he wanted to do about them when she returned and Danny explained.

"That's very thoughtful of you Danny. I'm sure that who ever receives them will be grateful." She smiled at him. "It's always interesting to see who you get flowers from when you're in the hospital."

"I was sure surprised." Danny agreed with a nod. "It was nice when my squadron commander sent flowers, but he knows me. When I got flowers from my _wing_ commander, that was unexpected."

"That's because you've got a reputation as a dedicated pilot son." His father answered from the open doorway. "Besides, _your_ wing commander is also _mine _and he had to clear that little expedition of mine to go find you."

Danny smiled at his father. "Then I should be sending _him_ flowers, don't you think?"

"A thank you would suffice Danny." He laughed and then amended his comment. "A nice snappy salute and a thank you."

"When I'm back on my feet he'll get the snappiest salute he's ever seen."

"All right you two, let's say goodbye to this room and get Danny home." Mama smiled at them as she picked up Danny's travel bag from the bed and his father grasped the handles of the wheel chair and began to push.

"What on earth are you doing?" A nurse appeared suddenly with a look of panic on her face. "I'm sorry Major but you can't wheel him out of here, hospital rules. An orderly will have to do it."

"And how soon will he be here?" Danny's father looked irritated.

"In fifteen Hawaiian minutes." A smiling orderly showed up.

"I'm sorry?" Mama looked confused.

"You've lived on Oahu for all of these years and you don't know what fifteen Hawaiian minutes are?" He grinned.

"Fifteen minutes?" She asked logically.

"No Ma'am. Fifteen Hawaiian minutes can be anywhere from two minutes to four days." And he laughed at his own joke. "The Lieutenant tells me that you and your husband have been here since 1941."

"For the exception of four years, that is true." Mama sounded a little defensive and a little confused.

"I would also guess that you don't get off the military base much." He continued.

"I don't understand."

"If you've lived here this long, you have become Hawaiian. You're children were all born here, so naturally they are Hawaiian too. You should take the opportunity to see that there is more to Oahu than military bases and Honolulu. We have a history and a culture that is older than the United States because Hawaii was a sovereign country at one time. The islands are now a part of the United States but at our heart we are still Hawaiian."

"I didn't know." She sounded embarrassed.

"That is why I always try to tell people about this beautiful island, so that they will go to other parts and see the real Oahu, the real Hawaii." He finished and deftly took the wheel chair out of Major McCawley's hands and carefully pushed Danny out of the room and down the hall. The orderly stopped at the nurse's station so Danny could say goodbye to the nurses who'd cared for him and have one last chat with his doctor.

"I know how important it is to you to get back in the air Lieutenant but don't push it too hard. I want you back here in a couple of weeks to have that leg x-rayed again and we'll see where we are as far as how it continues to heal."

Danny nodded. "Can you tell me how soon it might be after that before I get this thing off and go back to my quarters?"

"I don't want to make any promises to you but I will amend my decision _somewhat_ for you to stay off the leg." The doctor told him. "Since I talked to you this morning I had the chance to look at the x-ray I ordered a couple of days ago. I believe that your leg is strong enough for you to be up on crutches for _short _periods, so I'll allow you some limited movement."

"How limited?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. After three weeks of lying in a hospital bed with his leg elevated he was going to have the chance to get up on his feet, well one foot anyway and off of his backside. It was a baby step to getting back on both of his feet for good, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Let's start with ten minutes a day and I won't include that as part of using the bathroom or bathing. Of course I've already told you about how to handle that so I don't think I need to repeat it." He smiled.

"No you don't. Baths only until this thing comes off and I have to make sure that's it's wrapped in plastic to keep it from getting wet." Danny smiled back.

"That's why I also suggested sponge baths. You might not feel as clean as you would with a regular bath, but it would still get the job done if you're worried about getting the plaster wet." The doctor added. "I know you'd like to do as much for yourself as possible but I think you made the right decision to stay with your parents until the cast comes off. You've already figured out how ungainly the damn thing is and it's reassuring that you'll have someone close by to help, just in case you need it."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me. You never kept me in the dark about how bad my leg was and what it was going to take to get it to heal the right way." And he reached up to take the doctor's hand and hold it in a firm grasp. "I know that you talked to my parents about the possibility of taking my leg because you didn't know how bad it was going into surgery. I'm grateful that you didn't and gave it a chance to mend."

"That's always a last resort son. No surgeon takes lightly the idea of having to amputate a limb and if we have another alternative, we always try and take it." He explained as Danny let go of his hand. "I was relieved to say the least that I didn't have to because I knew it would mean an end to your career as a pilot."

Danny glanced over at his father and smiled. "Dad and I had a long talk about that. If it turned out that you couldn't have saved my leg, I would have adjusted. I spent four years at the Air Force Academy and I could have found a way to put my degree to use in some way and not leave the service."

The doctor nodded his approval. "That attitude would have helped tremendously if you'd been put in the situation, but now it can serve in helping you to do what's necessary to complete the healing of that leg."

"That's my plan." He smiled and raised a hand in farewell to the doctor and the nurses that he'd come to know during his stay. The orderly rolled him to the entrance of the hospital and was flanked on either side of the chair by his parents as they got closer to the door. He wanted so badly to be outside and feel the warmth of the sun on his skin and the breeze on his face. He'd been to the solarium a few times when he'd been able to roll around in a wheel chair and then graduated to crutches, but it was still within the confines of the hospital.

The front doors opened and the orderly wheeled him out to the front of the hospital. His father took the travel bag from his mother and left to get the car. The tropical breeze brushed against his face and he smiled. In a few more minutes, Pearl Harbor Naval Hospital would be a reflection in the rear view mirror of his parent's car and one more step on his road to recovery.

"What are you smiling for Danny?" His mother asked as they waited.

"I'm outside." He said simply. "And I'm not in hiding."

"That a reason to smile Lieutenant." The orderly commented from behind him. "You've had a rough road to travel these last few weeks and the journey is almost over."

Danny looked back. "It sure feels that way. As soon as this cast comes off, I can start in rehab and get back in the air."

"Take it one step at a time." He advised gently. "The doctor knows how much you want to fly again and he knows what it 's going to take for you to get there."

He nodded. "I know and I don't plan on doing anything that will jeopardize that."

"That's good because I sure don't want to see your face in here again." The orderly grinned at him. "At least not as a patient."

Danny laughed as the young man clapped him on the shoulder.

He didn't know why exactly, but he and the orderly, Sam hit it off right away and he did whatever he could to help Danny. He was a Hawaiian by birth but his heritage was Samoan, a fact that he never hesitated to mention. He could see the young man had a deep pride in where his family came from, but a deeper pride in being a Hawaiian. When he was finally able to wheel around in a chair, Sam was with him and it was he who was there when Danny needed a strong body to help him when he was learning to walk on crutches.

It was because of him that Danny began to learn about the island where they had both grown up. And by his own admission, didn't know much beyond Wheeler, Honolulu or Waikiki. He never seemed to have the time to do much exploring when he was younger because his nose was always deep in his schoolbooks. Sam was working his way through college and was a sophomore at the University of Hawaii.

He still hadn't decided on a major and was taking several different courses to figure out what it was he wanted to do. He needed to declare by the end of the spring term, but was still trying to figure it out. Danny thought that with his cheerful disposition and easy laugh, he should work in a hospital or some kind of setting where he would be able to help people.

"You still here Lieutenant?" Sam asked with a laugh. "Your father just pulled up and your mother is waiting."

"I'm sorry. I never used to have time for daydreaming and it's all I seem to be doing these last few weeks." Danny admitted.

"That's all right, you know? You could have lost your life when you crashed and didn't. You could have also lost your leg and it looks as though you'll be able to keep it. You've had some pretty big things happen to you, not including that pretty girl of yours and whether you realize it or not you're life has changed. It's good to take the time to reflect on it." He sounded wiser than his years, much like Ann did sometimes and maybe that's why they'd hit it off. He was just as direct as Ann was and it was something Danny appreciated.

"All right Sam, how are we going to do this?" Danny asked as the orderly locked the brakes on the chair.

"Leave it to me."

"My broken leg is in your hands." He quipped and in a matter of minutes, he and Danny's father had him settled in the back of the car with his cast propped up on a pile of blankets. But even with a pillow behind his back to cushion him against the door, it was uncomfortable.

"Do you have someone to help you when you get him home?" He heard Sam ask his father.

"We do son, thank you. And thank you for helpin' him as much as you did, his mama and I sure do appreciate it." Dad stuck out his hand he shook the orderly's hand.

"You need any help, just call. I'll be there in fifteen Hawaiian minutes." He laughed and Danny saw his mother smile.

"I hope it won't take _that_ long." She laughed in return as Dad started the car and they pulled away from the hospital entrance. He watched out the back window and answered Sam's wave goodbye. He couldn't help but wish, again that he was going back to his own quarters but he knew it wouldn't be possible until his cast came off. He just had to resign himself to accept that and as he held back a sigh, he knew he would.

"How are you doin' back there Danny?" His father asked as he merged onto a stretch of road he didn't recognize. "Are you comfortable enough?"

"About as comfortable as I can be." He answered.

"It won't take long honey." Mama turned around in her seat and smiled. "You haven't said as much to Dad or to me, but we know how much you'd rather be going back to your own place. You've been on your own since you went to the Academy and I know it feels like you're taking a step backward. But this _is_ only temporary until your cast comes off and you can start hobbling around on your own in your own space."

"Thank you Mama." Danny smiled in gratitude because he was afraid she wouldn't understand and he'd underestimated her.

"And some of your mama's home cookin' won't hurt either. In fact in will probably put some meat back on those bones of yours." Dad smiled at him for a moment in the rear view mirror before he put his attention back on the busy road.

"I think I've lost at least thirty pounds." He speculated. "But with this cast feeling as though it weighs about that, I guess it all evens out."

"We're just glad that you came out of the experience with just a concussion and a broken leg." Mama added.

"So am I."

Before he knew it, Dad was bringing the car to a stop at the entrance to Wheeler and the M P saluted. "Welcome home Lieutenant. It's nice to have you back on base."

"Thank you Sergeant, it's nice to be back." Danny said as he returned it and the guard turned his attention to Danny's father.

"Sir, Major Walker wanted you to know that he'll be at your quarters to help if you need it."

"I appreciate the information Sergeant." He put the car in gear as he was waived through and headed toward the house. As they got closer Danny couldn't help but remember how he felt when he and Sarah came back from Tennessee after being separated from their parents for over a year.

His stomach was in knots at the time because they were coming back to a house that he didn't really know and a military base that looked different than he remembered. Of course, he wasn't yet four when they left Hawaii and was barely nine when his parents brought he and Sarah back to their birthplace.

When Dad pulled into the driveway Danny's family, Ann's and Danny's best friend sat on the front porch. They seemed to be having a hell of a good time and he tried to hold back a sigh as they descended toward the car as it came to a stop.

Ann, to her credit stood back on the porch with her mother and waited for him.

Everyone seemed to want to help get Danny out of the car and his crutches out of the trunk. He had to admit though, with Dad, Major Walker, Joe and even Tom to help he was out of the car a lot faster than he was put in and the crutches were under his arms.

With his father and godfather beside him, Danny hobbled his way gingerly up the front walk and toward the porch. There were only two steps he would need to take, but to him they seemed insurmountable.

"Hang on son, we'll give you a hand." Dad reassured him as he and Ann's father stepped up onto the porch and after he put his arms around their shoulders, he was boosted up over the stairs and brought him into close contact with Ann.

"Welcome home." She smiled at him shyly.

"It's nice to be home Ann." He smiled back at her. _And to be so much closer to you._

She seemed to sense what he was thinking because her face flushed.

Mama opened the screen door and urged him inside. "I know you'd like to stay up on those crutches and keep walking, but we really need to get you situated."

He nodded. "Yes, Ma'am I know."

The happy group followed him into the house and his mother directed him to the sofa, where a spot was set up for him at the end of the coffee table to prop up his leg. "I asked your doctor if it would be all right if we did it this way. I imagine that you're tired of lying down and sitting up in bed, so at least this way you can have your one good foot on the floor."

"I appreciate that Mama, thank you." His thanks to her was sincere as he struggled to sit down and Dad picked his leg up from the floor and settled it on the nest of pillows.

Ann was hanging back again and the more Danny watched her, the more he wanted to kiss her. But he knew that as long as his family and hers were present it wouldn't happen.

As soon as they cleared out however, that would change.


	42. Readjustment

She'd seen him frustrated before, but this was something completely new.

Danny went back to Pearl Naval for a scheduled x-ray of his leg two weeks after he was discharged and even though it continued to heal it wasn't enough. It didn't even seem to matter that he was now able to stay up on his crutches for _twenty_ minutes a day, he was still in a cast.

That _damn_ cast, as he would tell her.

Ann was finished with classes for the day and stopped by to see Danny on her way home. She was still living with her parents but that had been her choice. It meant that she would be closer to him when he left the hospital and from what she was seeing Danny McCawley needed cheering up.

He was on the front porch, sitting on the swing when she walked into the front yard and he was staring off into space. "A penny for your thoughts Lieutenant." Ann said softly as she stepped up onto the porch and sat down next to him.

"They aren't worth that much." He sighed.

"Someone's feeling sorry for himself this afternoon. Why is that?" She pressed as she took his hand in hers and put her head down on his shoulder.

"Why do you think?" His answer was sharp. She sensed that Danny had had a bad day and wondered if his mother's had gone as well.

"As much as I try I can't always read your mind, so humor me." Ann wouldn't be deterred. She was rewarded with the feel of Danny's head coming to rest on hers and he squeezed her hand.

"I have to wear this damn thing for another two weeks, at least." He sighed. "The doctor says that he's really happy with the way my leg is healing and it's looking really good to getting it off as scheduled."

"And that's a _good_ thing. I know you want the cast off now Danny, but if you're going to fly again your leg has to heal as perfectly as possible." Ann tried to sound reasonable but wasn't sure if she was getting through to him.

"I know. It's not the cast so much because I've gotten used to it and what I can and can't do. It's what I can and can't do _by_ _myself_ that is really starting to irritate the hell out of me." He told her as he sat up.

"Is there anything I can do?" She sat up next to him and almost asked how she could help, but that was exactly what he _didn't_ want.

"You can kiss me, which would help a lot." He requested and when she looked at him, expected a smile but he was serious.

Ann squeezed his hand and leaned over. It surprised her when he shook his head.

"That isn't what I had in mind." He was still serious. "I want to have my arms around you."

"What do you what to do then?" She replied and stood up.

He did smile then and Ann felt her face warm. "What I _want_ to do is something we can't do on my mother's front porch."

She glanced toward the front door and smiled. "You'd better hope she didn't hear that or I won't be allowed to come over any more."

"She wouldn't stop you because she knows that you make me happy." He grinned.

"It's nice to see a smile on that handsome face, Lieutenant. I've missed seeing it." Her face grew warmer as he took her hand and she stepped carefully over his cast. She stood between his knees and wanted so much to run her fingers through his hair and it was then that she noticed how much it had grown out. It was still much shorter than she saw a lot of the boys on campus wearing theirs, but she'd grown so used to the military cut he'd worn since his high school ROTC days, that it startled her.

He evidently was enjoying the feel of her fingers that had somehow found their way into his hair because he was smiling at her. "The first thing I'm doing when I get this cast off is go to the barber and get my hair cut."

"I kind of like it this way because there's more of it between my fingers." She admitted.

"It's not very military though." He countered. "But seeing as how I'm currently off active duty, it'll do."

"I've got no complaints."

Danny smiled at her and she felt his arms around her waist as he pulled her gently to him. "I do. You still haven't kissed me."

She looked into the brown eyes she was afraid for a time that she'd never see again and smiled back. "Well then we need to do something about that, don't you think?"

"Is that an order?"

"If it's going to get you to stop talking and kiss me, then I suppose it is."

His smile widened into a grin. "Far be it for me to disobey a direct order."

Ann's hands slipped down to Danny's shoulders and she felt the taut muscle under the tee shirt he wore. She was grateful beyond words that she had this chance and couldn't help but worry that once he was back in the air, he might not come home alive a second time.

"What are you thinking Annie?" His voice was gentle as she felt the light touch of his hands settle around her waist.

"I'm thinking about how much I love you and how glad I am that you came back to me."

He looked into her eyes and all traces of a grin were gone. "I _had_ to come back so I could tell you how much I loved you too."

Ann leaned over and kissed him. She felt Danny's arms curl around her and pulled her even closer as he kissed her back. It was awkward, to say the least but she was in his arms and his warmth surrounded her as her hands found their way back into his hair. He upped the ante when his hands wandered south and before Ann had the chance to chide him he pulled away from her.

"We're giving the neighbors a hell of a show, so after I get up we can continue this inside." His smile made her heart skip a beat and she stepped out of his embrace.

"We can't very well do that if your mother's here." Ann pointed out logically.

"Mama's not here; or Dad, Sarah or Joe for that matter. They decided to go out to dinner tonight and then they're going to see a movie. That means I have the whole house to myself." He seemed to be challenging her and she wasn't sure to what end.

"Then I really shouldn't stay, you know that." If the McCawley's weren't home, it was a good bet her parents knew that and they would be expecting her home.

"Who is it that keeps reminding me that she's eighteen? That would be _you_, Miss Ann." She could see a mischievous sparkle in his eye and wondered what it was that he had in mind. He picked up his crutches with one hand for balance and reached for the porch railing with the other. He seemed to be putting all of his concentration on the task at hand so Ann got out of his way as he worked his way off of the swing and got up on his feet. He tucked the crutches under his arms and headed to the screen door.

She opened it and waited for him to walk inside and though she was reluctant to follow him into his parent's empty house, she didn't want to leave him just yet. So she followed him inside as the screen door closed behind her. She walked behind him into the middle of the living room and couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to share a house like his parents, with him.

"Now that I've got you alone, I could use your help."

_He didn't want to kiss her; he wanted a nurse._ "My help?"

"Don't look like that Annie. I didn't get you in here under false pretenses, exactly." He knew what she was thinking. "The kind of help I need is something that I think you might like."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't take a shower for the duration and taking a real bath is too much trouble. I tried it a couple of weeks ago and I was so worried about getting the cast wet that I decided to go with another option my doctor gave me." He was trying not to grin and Ann wondered why.

"What other option do you have?"

"A sponge bath." His voice was husky and it made her flush.

She decided to keep it light because she didn't know where he was going with the suggestion. "You're twenty-three years old and you can't take a bath by yourself?"

"I can and I have. But seeing as how we won't do certain things, regardless of the cast or that you're eighteen I can't think of a nicer way to get your hands on me. What do you say?" He was challenging her again, or was he daring her?

"You planned this didn't you?" She didn't answer him. "I'll bet that you were perfectly awful to your mother today so she would get fed up with you and want an evening out. And for good measure, you were rude to your father and Sarah and Joe."

"Something like that." He told her without apology. "I haven't had any time alone with you since I was in the hospital and knowing that you were going to stop by, I couldn't think of a better way to get everyone to clear out."

"You're terrible." She frowned at him.

He shook his head. "I love you and I'll do whatever it takes to be alone with you for a little while."

"Even if it means driving your parents out of their own home." She wouldn't budge, mostly because she wasn't sure if it were such a good idea to be so close to him when he would be clad only in his shorts.

"Don't forget my brother and sister." He nodded and hobbled toward her. "What happened to that girl who slept with me in the hospital, twice and kissed me on that very same bed?"

"She wasn't completely alone with him, that's what happened." She folded her arms across her chest and backed up. "There was never a chance that anything could happen."

"Nothing is going to happen _now_." He advanced on her and sighed. "In case you haven't noticed I've got a broken leg and it makes it a little difficult to move around."

"But your _fingers _aren't broken."

Danny smiled. "Neither are yours. I may end up regretting this but it's something that I'd really like you to do for me. Please?"

"And you'll behave yourself?" She asked, knowing darn well that he wouldn't.

"Not if I can help it." He grinned. "Please Annie."

"_I_ may end up regretting this because with the exception of that one time in your quarters, I've never really touched you and I may not want to let you go." She had to admit to him.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Danny's grin gentled to a smile. "I for one don't plan on letting _you_ go."

He turned around and headed toward his parent's room.

"Where are you going?"

"My parent's have a shower in their room and it's the easiest way for me to clean up." He tossed over his shoulder as he kept moving and she finally followed.

Ann hadn't been in his parent's bedroom since she was little and it felt a little as though she were invading their privacy. It didn't help that when she walked in, she saw their bed and remembered. She didn't realize that she'd been looking at the bed until she heard his low voice. "If my leg weren't broken, we'd be in some serious trouble."

His suggestive tone made her smile. "If your leg weren't broken, we wouldn't be in here."

"I know." And he walked to the bathroom door.

"So if you can't shower, what are we doing?" She looked into the small bathroom and wondered how they would manage.

"Mama's got a stool under the sink for me to sit on and she fills the sink with warm water." He smiled. "There's a bar of soap under there too. So all you need to do is get a wash cloth, lather it up and I get my bath, such as it is."

"You're enjoying this too much." She smiled back.

"Not yet I'm not." He answered.

Ann turned around to locate the stool and the soap and placed the stool in the middle of the shower stall. She turned the water on in the small sink and made sure that it wasn't too hot. She found a fresh wash cloth and towel on the towel rack and after the sink was filled, turned off the tap. "All right Lieutenant, let's get this show on the road."

"Not so fast, Miss Ann. I'm not going to let you rush through this." He hobbled in and gingerly stepped into the shower before he sat down and handed his crutches to Ann. She placed them just outside the stall and pulled the wash cloth off the towel rack and submerged it in the warm water. "But before we start, I'd like you to step in here for a minute."

"Danny, there's barely room for you. How am I supposed to get in there?" She asked as she watched him pull his tee shirt off and she saw for the first time how slender his frame had become from the weeks of inactivity. It was another surprise to her because he looked so different from the robust, healthy pilot she saw before he was shot down.

He handed his shirt to her and the warm fabric made her face warm.

"Just step lightly and we'll be fine." He advised as he held out his hand to her and helped her into the shower and over his broken leg. He was half a head taller than she as he sat on the tall stool and Ann understood. "Remember, I told you that I didn't get you into the house under false pretenses. This is what I had in mind."

His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her against him. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"It's too late to back out now." She whispered because her voice inexplicably abandoned her as she put her arms around Danny's neck as he leaned over and kissed her.

It wasn't awkward as their kiss on the porch had been and for a long moment Ann forgot that she was embracing a man with a broken leg. She felt his hands travel the contours of her back and she returned the favor by trying to reacquaint herself with the feel of him as well.

She wasn't sure who broke the kiss, but they continued to hold each other and she could feel the rapid beat of his heart. "I've missed this."

She nodded. "So have I."

He sighed and loosened his hold on her. "We probably shouldn't take too long. I need to get back on the sofa pretty soon and get my leg elevated."

So many thoughts were whirling around in her head, and so many emotions, too.

"It would be so easy to get carried away with this." He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. "When I thought about asking you to do this for me, it didn't occur to me at the time that we wouldn't be able to follow things to their natural conclusion. So if you'll do me a favor and get my back, I can do the rest."

"Are you sure?" Ann knew that he was right but it hurt nonetheless.

"I'm sorry Ann. I'm not thinking things through the way I normally do because I've come to realize that when I'm with you I _can't_ think, all I can do is feel."

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked as she brushed the hair off of his forehead.

"When I put us in a situation like this it is." The back of his fingers grazed her cheek again and Ann loved the feel of it. "It's not fair to either one of us and it's my fault."

"You know as well as I do that if I didn't want to be in a situation like this we wouldn't be, so it's as much my fault as yours. If I didn't want to be with you so much, we wouldn't be standing in a shower stall necking." She finished with a laugh because it sounded so ridiculous.

"There are definitely much more comfortable places for that." The humor of their situation seemed to strike him as well.

"I can think of one place." She said without thinking.

"You're not helping." His gentle voice held the note of a scold. "We made a decision about this and you have to help me to honor it."

"I'm sorry." Ann's apology was sincere. "I'm not trying to make this more difficult for you. We _did_ make a decision together, because it was the right thing to do. And you're not the only one who isn't thinking things through."

"I love you."

She nodded. "I know you do."

She saw a look of longing and regret on his face and decided that it was well past time to step away. When she did, he held out his hand to her and she stepped over his cast and out of the shower. She dipped her fingers in the sink and the water had cooled.

"The water is a little cool, I could warm it up if you want. "

"Let's just get it done. Since it's impossible for me to take a cold shower at the moment, this will have to do." She could hear the humor in his voice and smiled.

"All right." She shrugged her shoulders as she picked up the wet wash cloth and ran the bar of soap across it to work up a lather.

Ann approached him and just before she began to run the soapy cloth across his back she got the sudden urge to kiss his shoulder.

"Don't dawdle, Miss Ann." Danny seemed to sense what she was thinking and she sighed to herself. So as quickly and efficiently as she could, she ran the wash cloth across his back. She rinsed it out, tried to eliminate the soap that had begun to dry on his skin and rinsed it out again.

She readied the cloth and handed it to him so that he could finish. "Why don't you wait out in my parent's room and if I need help I'll call."

"Are you sure?" Ann didn't want to leave him, even if it was only the next room.

"Yes." He answered her quietly and she nodded reluctantly before she turned around and left him alone. She again faced his parent's bed and sat down at the foot.

What had they gotten themselves into?


	43. Getting Things Back To Normal

Life was getting better for Lieutenant Daniel McCawley, mostly.

He had a girl whom he loved, who loved him back and he was no longer wearing a cast. It finally came off three weeks after Ann helped him with his sponge bath and it seemed, as a result that she began to avoid being alone with him. She continued to visit him at his parent's house but it would always be when someone else was there.

It was almost a replay of the previous December when she'd backed away from him because of Evelyn, but this time it must have been because of their encounter in his parent's shower stall. It seemed to have a much deeper effect on her than their nearly making love before he flew out, but he thought he knew why. They had not admitted their feelings for each other yet.

He didn't begrudge her decision because he knew that he's crossed a fine line that afternoon. He'd put them both in a no-win situation with his behavior and if they were going to honor the decision they made he knew that he could no longer tease her the way he had been or allow them to be alone together for any length of time. It was just too much of a temptation.

Although the cast was off, the doctor wanted him to remain on crutches while he began the job of rehabilitating his leg. He told Danny that it wasn't because he worried that there would be a setback, he would just be more comfortable that the young pilot have some extra support until his leg was strong again. He agreed.

Danny was just happy to have the heavy plaster off of his leg and was even happier to be returning to his own quarters. His doctor had given him the all clear to do that and he didn't waste any time to thank his parents for everything they'd done for him before he told them goodbye. Dad drove him home with the promise that if he needed anything that he would call. He would have preferred to drive but that was another restriction for the duration, he couldn't get behind the wheel.

So while he had much of his independence back, he still had to depend on other people to help him.

He was returning to active duty as well but would be flying a desk until he was cleared by the flight surgeon. But _he_ wouldn't clear Danny until his doctor felt that his leg was completely healed. During his rehabilitation his squadron commander wanted him to be an instructor of sorts for the other pilots. Major Langley believed that his experience could be used as a valuable tool for the veteran pilots and for the young men who were coming out of the Air Force Academy and flight school.

When Dad approached him Danny wasn't sure he liked the idea, at first. He thought that if his squadron leader was asking him to take on the role of instructor that his days as a pilot were numbered. Dad assured him that from their discussion it was only to help his fellow pilots, as other veteran pilots had helped him.

"You need to get that mop cut Dan." Hank commented the afternoon Danny returned to his quarters. "You're returning to base on Monday and you can't go back looking like one of the Beatles."

"It's not that bad." Danny answered defensively as he ran a hand through his sandy hair, only because he knew Hank was right.

"It's worse." His friend laughed. "I don't get what the girls see in them."

"Maybe it's because they're British." He suggested. "Their music isn't half bad, but I grew up listening to swing music and it's more my style."

"That's one of the reasons that you and Ann are so perfect for each other, she feels the same way. Evelyn on the other hand thinks the Beatles are the ultimate, as she's told me more than once." Hank shook his head.

Danny was careful how he broached the subject. "How are things going with you two? You haven't been saying too much since I got out of the hospital and the last I heard from you, you were going to ask her out. Have you?"

The look on Hank's face was guarded, but not defensive. "I took your advice and we _have_ had lunch in the Officer's Dining Room a couple of times. She seems all right with that and I've tried asking her out to dinner, but whenever I begin to she changes the subject."

"Do you think she'd go if you double dated with Ann and me? It could be that she's just not quite ready to go solo." Danny offered. "Ann likes her a lot and I know she'd be happy to help."

The idea didn't seem to have occurred to him and Danny could almost see the wheels turning as Hank mulled it over. "She might be more receptive to that, especially if Ann were there. Evelyn can't seem to say enough nice things about her."

"Ann feels the same way about Evelyn." Danny told him. "They spent a lot of time talking while I was missing and it really seemed to help. I don't know that I thanked her enough for that."

"Talking to Ann helped her too. She was as worried as anyone was but seeing how Ann was able to keep it together it made her feel better."

"That's good." He ran a hand through his hair again; it really was too long. "You know Evelyn has always been real selective about the friends she makes. We don't really count because we've known her since we were in Colorado and while she's become acquainted with my family she's become close to Ann."

Hank grinned. "She feels as though she's got another older sister keeping an eye on her but it doesn't seem to bother her as much as _my_ keeping tabs on her."

"Evelyn's not nearly as ham fisted about it, as you are, that's why." Danny clarified. "She and Sarah are both that way."

"But Ann and Sarah are probably going to become sisters, so it makes sense." His grin grew wider.

"Planning a wedding are we?" Danny shook his head in amusement. "Don't walk us down the isle of the Hickam Chapel just yet Hank, because I'm not ready to propose."

"You're not ready." His look was expectant. "Does that mean you've thought about it?"

"Not seriously. Marriage is a big step and it's not one that I'm ready to take yet." Danny tried to explain. "It may sound selfish, and it probably is but I want to be on my own for awhile. It's barely been a year since Ann and I started to see each other and a lot of that time was spent dealing with misunderstandings. I love her and I love being with her, but it took me so long to get to this point in my life and I'm just not ready to take on any more responsibility."

"Don't sound so defensive. I'm sure that Ann isn't any more ready than you are. She's got three and a half years of school ahead of her and as much as she loves you, she probably wants to concentrate on that."

If Danny didn't know better, he would swear that Hank was using a little reverse psychology on him, tell him what he wanted to hear so that he'll change his mind. It wasn't going to work. He knew that as much as Ann loved him and wanted to be with him, she wasn't ready for marriage either. It was a huge commitment that they both took seriously and it had to be when they both knew it was right.

"Did you hear me?" Hank's voice broke into his thoughts.

"About Ann wanting to finish school? I heard." He answered.

"I don't know about you Dan. You were never a daydreamer until you came back and it's seems that you have your head in the clouds a lot now."

How could he explain that it was his dreams, waking and in sleep that kept him alive? Through them, he was able to stay close to his family, his friends and to Ann and give him hope that he would be found. It was his daydreams that kept his mind occupied during the long daytime hours and his thoughts clear when he was in such pain and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and not wake up. When he began to feel that way he would think of Ann and how soft and warm her lips were when she kissed him and how her hands felt when they would find their way under his tee shirt and caress him.

"Having my head in the clouds kept me alive." Danny finally said. "By being somewhere else other than where I was, it kept my mind on happier times and with people that I loved."

"It must have been a hell of an experience out there." Hank commented.

"It was an experience that I'll never forget." He nodded. "But it's not something that I want to repeat."

"I'll bet." Hank concurred. "I guess you don't really know what you're made of until you have to face a situation like that. I don't know that I could have done what you did."

"You would have, I know it. It just comes down to deciding if you want to live or die and there was no way that I was going to leave my mortal coil in a god-forsaken jungle." Danny frowned. "That's not to say that I didn't have days where I said, to hell with it I'm checking out, because my leg hurt so bad and my head was aching from the concussion. But ultimately it came down to wanting to see my family again and not coming home in a box."

"That's a strong incentive to come home."

"Look at the two of you, sitting on the porch like a couple of little old ladies gossiping." Danny hadn't heard Evelyn pull up and was surprised when he saw her get out of her car.

"We weren't gossiping we were having a serious discussion." Hank seemed to take issue with Evelyn's teasing and let her know it. "It's the first time that I've had the chance to really talk to him about what happened."

Evelyn looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow and he gave her a surreptitious shrug of his shoulders. Hank was a funny guy when it came to her; his emotions were all over the map.

"Hank seems to think that he wouldn't have done what I did out there." He explained. "I've been trying to tell him otherwise."

She turned serious and looked at Hank. "After what Dan put me through with his little camping trip, I'll never forgive you if you decide to follow his lead."

Evelyn Ahern certainly had a way with words. _His little camping trip?_

"It's not going to happen." Danny interjected. "The odds are against it."

"They'd better be because I have no plans to go through something like that again." She added. "I've known you boys too long to lose one of you now."

Hank looked absolutely crestfallen and Danny wondered if he'd misread Evelyn. Maybe Hank's initial instincts were right and she didn't see him as anything more than her friend. It was time to put it to a test because it might be the only way he could see Ann without their parents present.

"You're not going to lose either one of us, so stop worrying." He tried to calm her and then changed the subject. "Evelyn, since you're here I need to ask you a big favor."

"What is it?"

"Ann's been keeping her distance since I got out of the hospital and she won't spend any time alone with me." He started.

She smiled at him and it was apparent that she knew what had happened. "She didn't go into much detail, but I got the impression that you put her in a situation that you oughtn't to have done." Then she turned serious again. "Really Dan, you have to start thinking things through when it comes to her. If you don't she's going to start thinking that there's only one thing you want from her."

"Hey, that's not fair!" He wasn't expecting her blunt observation and it upset him. "You, as well as anyone should know how much I love Ann and I resent like hell the fact that you're making it sound as though I only want her in my bed."

"Don't you?" Her question to him was gentle and without accusation.

"If that were all I wanted from her it would have happened before I flew out. But it _didn't_ because she means a hell of a lot more to me than that!"

"Have you made that clear to her?"

"Of course I have." He frowned.

"Then answer me this. Have you spent any time with her since you've been dating that you haven't gotten physical in some way? Have you ever just talked or gone for a walk without it leading to something?"

_She had him on that one. _Their relationship had rapidly become more intimate and he couldn't remember the last time they'd gone for a walk and all they'd done is walked and talked. Could Evelyn be right?

"Don't browbeat the guy Evelyn, he gets your point." Hank stepped in. "He and Ann seem to know the pace that works for them."

Danny shook his head. "No Hank, she's right. I really pushed things with her the last time we were together and it wasn't something that I thought about until after it happened. The fact is I don't think very clearly when I'm around her, I just feel and I've told her that. I also can't remember the last time we were together and nothing happened." He looked at Evelyn and let out a frustrated sigh. "I love her and I've told her that, but you're right. I tell her one thing and my actions tell her something completely different."

"So let's change that. She won't spend any time alone with you and that's smart thinking right now. You understand that but you want to see her, so how exactly do _I_ fit into this?" Evelyn brought him back around to what started the discussion, how to get her out on a date with Hank.

"I was thinking that if you and Hank would have dinner with us, than she would see me." He explained.

"And at some point you want us to bug out." Hank smiled.

"Hell no! If you do that then she'll think I planned it that way and she might call it quits. We're skating on some pretty thin ice right now because of me and I don't want to make it worse."

"So I guess a double feature is out of the question." He laughed and got a glare from Evelyn.

"Your attempt at humor isn't helping Henry." She scolded him before she looked at Danny. "So what do you want to do then? A casual dinner at the Black Cat?"

"That crossed my mind because she's familiar with the place and she likes it. I think if I keep things on neutral territory, so to speak she'll be all right." Danny elaborated. "We've both been aware that things have been moving too fast and I think it's well past time to back up."

"It seems as though your last encounter shook _you_ up pretty badly too." Evelyn observed. "If it didn't we wouldn't be having this conversation, I suspect."

He didn't think of her anymore, but his former girlfriend suddenly came to mind and Danny couldn't help but think how different his relationship with her had been. "I never had this problem with Caroline. When I was at the Academy, I never gave her much thought but I always thought it was because I was so busy."

"You didn't give her much thought because you weren't in love with her." She reminded him. "And even if you'd been in close proximity of each other, you wouldn't be flailing yourself because you took more liberties than was prudent.

"As to having dinner with you and Ann I will, but don't think that I'm unaware of why you're really doing this. Lieutenant Metcalf has been trying to talk me into having dinner with him and I haven't been giving him the opportunity to do so."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Hank spoke up. "If you've got something to say then say it to _me_."

Evelyn glanced at Danny. She was trying not to smile before she turned her attention to the irritated flyer. "In the interest of helping Dan see Ann I think we should have dinner together, the four of us."

"How about having dinner with me because you _want_ to?" He challenged her. "Not because you think of it as a favor to friends."

Danny could see that Evelyn was continuing to fight a battle with herself whether she wanted to proceed with a relationship or let things stay where they were. But something told him that she was tiring of being strictly platonic with his best friend. He hadn't misread her after all.

"Ask me and I promise I won't stop you this time." She finally said.

Hank looked a little wary because he didn't know if he could trust her.

"I said I wouldn't stop you and I won't." Evelyn reassured him.

_Come on Hank ask her, she's giving you the chance. _Danny thought. _Don't blow it._

He stood up and Evelyn's face flushed. Could it be that she was really seeing him for the first time? "Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night? We could double with Dan and Ann at the Black Cat, if that would be all right?"

"That would be fine." Her voice sounded a little breathy and Danny knew it had taken a lot of courage for her to accept.

"Dan and I can pick you up around six and then we'll get Ann." He suggested.

"I'll be ready." She promised and took a step back. "I need to get going now. I just stopped by to see how Dan was doing and he seems to be in good hands."

"Thanks for stopping by Evelyn." Danny stood up next to his friend. "I do appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned and walked to her car.

"That took a lot of guts Hank, you should be proud of yourself." Danny put a hand on his friend's tense shoulder as Evelyn drove away.

"I'll be proud of myself if we get through tomorrow night without my making a fool of myself." He sighed.

"I wouldn't worry about it; she's used to that by now." He grinned as he turned around to grab his crutches and tuck them under his arms before he walked inside, leaving his nervous friend by himself.


	44. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

He'd sent her out of his parent's bathroom like a naughty child who'd done something she ought not to have done and she knew what it was. Ann had thrown herself at him and he'd been so stunned that he pushed her away.

He finished his bath, such as it was that afternoon and didn't come out of the bathroom until his shirt was back on and he was up on crutches. He'd made an excuse about being tired and wanting to lie down to get some rest. He showed her the door and while he was polite about it couldn't seem to get her out of his parent's house fast enough.

It was all her fault and she didn't know what she could do to make things right. So instead, she kept her distance and always made sure that when she went to see him that someone was always there. And if it looked as though it might end up being just the two of them she would make her excuses and leave him alone. He always looked as though he wanted her to stay but he'd made his feelings pretty clear.

And now his cast was off.

Sarah asked Ann to meet her at the beach the afternoon Danny returned to his quarters and she hesitated. Ann didn't particularly want to talk about the situation and felt that was what Sarah had in mind. But it had been so long since they'd talked about _any_thing that she couldn't turn her friend down.

"I wish you'd say something." Sarah remarked as they walked along the water's edge. "You're as bad as my brother is because _he's_ not talking either."

"There's nothing to talk about. I misread what he wanted and he pushed me away." Ann sighed and was surprised when Sarah laughed.

"You didn't misread him Annie; you surprised him is all."

She wanted to bury herself in the sand; right then and there she was so embarrassed. "He told you?"

"He hasn't said too much about it." She sounded a little too mysterious and Ann wondered what Danny's sister wasn't telling her. "Danny loves you and I know you know that. I also know that you love him and _he_ knows that. The thing of it is, he's never felt for any girl what he feels for you and frankly, it scares him sometimes."

That wasn't news to Ann. Danny _had_ told her that when he was with her he didn't think, he only felt. It was the same with her too, only she didn't know if she'd ever told him that. For better or for worse, all she could do that afternoon was feel and it wasn't just the feel of his warm body under her hands. It was the feel of a young woman who wanted nothing more than to let the man she loved know how much she loved him. He seemed to understand that too and it's why he pushed her away.

"Ann, it hasn't been hard to miss that things between the two of you have been moving pretty fast and you both know it. That's why you've each backed off because if things move any faster, there won't be any turning back."

It didn't take too much to realize what Sarah meant. "We don't want to repeat history."

She nodded. "What is that old saying about the sins of the father being visited upon the son? Our parent's made decisions that affect us even now. But you and Danny aren't them and you need to decide what's best for you."

"What is it that you're trying to say?"

She stopped Ann with a touch on her arm. "You know exactly what I'm trying to say. Danny's a grown man and you're eighteen and if you feel that your relationship has come to the point that you want to take the next step I wouldn't rule it out."

Ann was stunned that Sarah would even suggest it. "Are you serious? We _can't_."

She nodded her head. "You could if you wanted to because you're both mature responsible people and you'd handle it the right way."

"Sarah, we can't even seem to handle a simple thing like necking without getting carried away. If we were put in a position like _that_, we wouldn't think about anything." She tried to explain. "We haven't learned yet how to balance all of the emotions we're dealing with, so how are we supposed to handle something as serious as making love?"

"I didn't know that. You've never given me the impression that you two can't keep your hands off each other." Sarah said with a smile. "You're always the good son and good daughter in front of our parent's."

"It's nothing to smile about because our parent's are keeping an eye on us." Ann frowned as she explained. "And it doesn't matter that Danny's twenty-three and I'm eighteen. We _are_ of legal age and my parent's can't do anything about it if we went through with it, but _we_ would have to live with the consequences of knowing that we broke a promise to them."

"You actually promised them that you wouldn't?"

"We promised them that nothing would happen and we have to keep our word."

"And you're doing that by keeping your distance." Sarah looked puzzled. "How is that supposed to help?"

"It keeps temptation out of reach." Ann told her sensibly. "And hopefully it will help us to try and find a way to be together without getting into a situation we can't handle."

She smiled. "You really love him a lot, don't you?"

"And don't think that it doesn't scare me sometimes." Ann replied. "So what about you? Has one of those handsome pilots over at Hickam caught your eye yet?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'm playing the field, as it were and striking out. It's all right, though because I'm not ready to get serious about anyone. But it seems as though Hank is getting pretty serious about Evelyn."

"I'm sorry."

"Please don't be. We knew that it wasn't working but were too afraid of hurting each other to admit it or finding out why. I felt bad for Evelyn because I could sense that there was something brewing with them and neither one of them wanted any part of it. I got the feeling that she felt stuck in the middle of something she had no control over and that she didn't particularly want."

"She's a nice girl Sarah. You're a lot alike in some ways and maybe you could talk to her some time." Ann suggested, not sure how her friend would take to the idea.

"We'll see. I'm just trying to stay out of his way for the moment. We were too close in some ways and I'm still having some separation anxiety." Sarah answered. "I just want to concentrate on my job for now. It seems as though I'm learning something new everyday and it keeps me on my toes."

"He asks about you and still worries about you."

She nodded. "I know. Danny told me and Hank should know that he can't do that, not any more. It's different that he fusses over you because you're like a sister. But _we_ can't be that way and frankly I don't want to be. Maybe when we get farther down the road we can be friends, but it's not something I can even consider right now."

"I understand."

"Does she really like him?" Sarah asked and Ann could see that it was out of genuine curiosity and not jealousy. "Does she make him happy?"

"To be perfectly honest, it's hard to tell how either one of them really feels. Hank pushes all of the wrong buttons with her and I don't know if he does it on purpose or if he's even aware of it. Evelyn doesn't give him any quarter and holds him to what he says to her."

A look of wistfulness passed quickly across her face and she managed a smile. "They sound perfect for each other."

Ann smiled back tentatively. "I don't know about perfect, but they do seem to set sparks off of each other."

"It's more than _we_ could do." Sarah sighed. "And it's not that either one of us is to blame, it's just that as much as we cared for each other he needed someone like _her_ to keep him on his toes. _I_ certainly couldn't because I didn't know how."

"He just wasn't the right guy and you know that now. Once the right one comes along, you'll know how." And Ann hugged her. "I'm glad you asked me down here to talk. It's been such a long time since we've done this and I've really missed it."

"So have I Annie. But I promise that I won't let it be so long again." Sarah promised her as they headed up the beach.

"I'm glad."

"So do you have any plans for tonight?"

Ann sighed. "The only plans I have are with my schoolbooks. I got behind in my classes when Danny was missing and then once he got home, I was always at the hospital. Now that he's back in his quarters, I have a lot of work to make up."

That piece of news elicited a worried look from Sarah. "Are you going to pass the semester?"

"I don't know if I'm going to pass _midterms_, so I really need to buckle down and get caught up." She admitted.

"Do your parent's know that you're having trouble?"

She shook her head. "No. But they're bound to find out, if I don't tell them first. The truth is Sarah, I don't know if I want to continue after this semester. I worked over the summer and I really liked it, earning my own money and buying things without having to ask my parent's for money. It was the first time that I felt I could take care of some things by myself."

"Are you considering leaving school?" Sarah looked surprised at her news.

"I just spent the last twelve years sitting in classrooms to get a high school diploma and I don't know that I really want to spend another three and a half years in college classrooms, not sure of what I want to do to for a degree."

"You didn't answer my question." She pressed.

Ann shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know. I'm not enjoying school the way I thought I would and I don't know what to do."

"Have you talked to your parents?"

She sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. This is something they've both wanted for me and it was something I wanted for myself. I just don't know any more."

Sarah stopped Ann again. "It seems to me that so much has happened to you in the last year that you haven't had the chance to sort through it all. It didn't help matters either that Danny was missing all that time and we didn't know whether he was alive or not."

"So what do you think I should do?"

She shook her head. "You know I can't do that. This is one of those decisions that you're going to have to make. But I do think that you should talk to your parents and see what they think."

Ann sighed again. "My life was so uncomplicated a year ago."

Sarah put an arm around her shoulders. "I know Annie, it's called growing up. And you've done a lot of it recently."

"Some of it has been very nice, but it seems to be happening too fast." She added.

"You and Danny have been traveling through uncharted territory together. And after what happened a few weeks ago and knowing that you don't want things to get out of hand, now is the time to sit down and make some decisions. Mostly, you need to decide how to be together and be happy, but not put yourselves in situations that leave you frustrated."

"We seem to have a knack for doing just that."

"Well then it's past time that you have a heart to heart. If you both feel that this is a relationship that will turn into something permanent you need to set some firm ground rules and stick to them."

Ann nodded and didn't say anything because Sarah put it succinctly enough that it didn't require an answer.

"Did I give you enough to think about?" She pressed gently.

"Nothing that I hadn't thought of already, but it's always nice to hear it from someone else."

"Then my job is done." Sarah laughed. "Why don't you let me walk you back to your house because you've got a lot to do."

"I'd like that." Ann smiled back at her friend as they walked together up the beach.


	45. Charting A Course

Danny heard the hesitation in her voice when he asked her out to dinner, even though he made it clear that it was a double date so that Evelyn would go out with Hank. He understood her reluctance and had chastised himself more than once since he coaxed her into his parent's room, or was it more accurate to say that he had lured her?

It didn't really matter because even though she may have sounded hesitant about accepting she _had_, but with a proviso. If Evelyn changed her mind Ann would not go out with him, it was only fair and he knew it. She agreed to the Black Cat but told him that she would meet him there and he agreed to her terms because he didn't have a choice. He wanted to see her.

Hank laughed when Danny told him and didn't appreciate being a source of hilarity for his friend. _He_, however got the last laugh when Evelyn found out Ann would be meeting them there and arranged to ride with her.

Danny and Hank sat at a table at the Black Cat the following evening and waited for the girls to show up. Danny wore the one outfit that he knew his mother wished he wouldn't leave the base in, but he knew Ann liked it. His loud Hawaiian shirt worn open over a tee shirt and dungarees. Hank had opted for a less casual look and worn slacks with his shirtsleeves rolled up just below the elbows.

They sat across from each other and Hank quipped about taking bets to see if Ann and Evelyn would stand them up. He wasn't particularly amused because it was exactly what worried him. He had to remind himself that Ann wasn't the kind of girl to be that thoughtless but Danny had also come to learn, however that he didn't really know her as well as he thought he did. He knew that it was because he had been looking at her with his heart for nearly a year and that colored everything.

"I don't think they're going to show Dan." Hank decided. "I just don't think the girls are going to show."

Danny looked at his watch. "We were early and they have five minutes. You're just too damn anxious about this."

"And you're not I suppose?" He crossed his arms across his chest. "I've seen the way you've been glancing at the door when you think I'm not looking and that worried look that's been crossing your face. You're thinking the same thing I am."

"They still have five minutes." Danny refused to be baited. "If I look worried it's because I don't know if she'll ever really trust me again after what happened. Evelyn made a lot of sense yesterday and she gave me a lot to think about as far as how I've been treating Ann. She deserves better."

"Well here's your chance to change that." Hank commented before he stood up. "Good evening ladies."

Danny stood up as Ann and Evelyn walked into the cafe and he suddenly felt like a slob standing next to his best friend. Evelyn certainly didn't help things. "Honestly Dan, you couldn't pick out something nicer than that to wear?"

"It's all right Evelyn." Ann spoke up and she sounded positively breathless. "We did say that this would be casual and he's definitely that."

"I think she just insulted your choice of attire." Hank smiled at Danny and laughed.

"I did no such thing." Her face flushed. "And you know that."

"Leave her alone Henry." Evelyn chastised him. "The truth is, I feel a little overdressed and you don't look too comfortable either."

"You look very nice Evelyn and Hank should have told you that." Danny forced a smile as he tried to lighten his gray mood. "Why don't you both sit down and we'll get some menus to look at."

"Thank you Dan, at least _you_ noticed." She answered as she refused to wait for Hank and seated herself.

"I noticed, you just didn't give me time to say anything." Hank replied as he sat down next to her. "I'm not a _complete_ clod."

Ann glanced at Danny and he could see her try to stifle a sigh. They were in rare form and he had to keep in mind that it was because they were both nervous. But if they didn't back off of needling each other, it was going to be a very long meal. He pulled out the seat next to his for Ann and she nodded a thank you as she sat down and picked up a menu.

He gave her a moment before he leaned over to ask what she thought and she stiffened. So he moved away from her and asked if anything looked interesting.

"The menu doesn't change, that's for sure." She commented to him and didn't say anything more.

It was last Christmas all over again and he didn't know what to do.

"That's why people keep coming back Ann, the food doesn't change." Hank grinned at her from the other side of the table and Danny could see the look of concern on Evelyn's face.

"Dan, Ann doesn't look like she's feeling too well. Why don't you take her home?" She suggested to him. "Henry can take me home when we finish with dinner."

"I'm fine." Ann frowned. "I've just got a lot on my mind."

"And it's keeping you from having a good time." Evelyn persisted. "To be perfectly frank I don't want to look at your gloomy face or Dan's, for that matter. We'll try this again when you two can put smiles on your faces and look somewhat happy to be here."

"I have to agree with Evelyn about that." Hank spoke up. "You need to talk to each other about some things and you can't really do it here."

"Don't you think that should be our decision?" Ann asked quietly before she stood up and walked out of the diner.

"If you've made her cry, _we're_ going to have something to talk about." Danny stood up and glanced at the door before he turned his attention back on his friend and frowned. "Sarah told me last night that she's having trouble with school and part of that is my fault. It doesn't help that the two of you are lecturing her about what she should and shouldn't do."

"We weren't lecturing Dan." Evelyn started before Danny put his hand up to stop her from continuing.

"Ann and I will take care of this but it has to be between the two of us." He began to walk away from the table before he stopped and turned around. "It seems to me that you need to take your own advice and talk to Hank about what's happening between the two of you. Sarah saw it and broke things off with _him_ because she thought it's what was best, so don't blow it." He finished and walked out the door.

He found Ann walking up the street and ran to catch up with her. "Do you mind a little company?"

"Do you think we should be leaving them alone?" She answered his question with a question of her own.

"I think it's time that we stop concerning ourselves with them and try and fix what's wrong with us." He was blunt but that was how she preferred it.

"Nothing is wrong." She said and when she wouldn't look at him, Danny knew she didn't believe it.

"Like hell there isn't. Nothing has been right with us since you helped me with my sponge bath and I know why." He challenged and it got her attention.

"How could you possibly?" She asked as she briefly glanced at him and kept walking.

"Because I put you in a situation that day that was unfair. We decided together that nothing serious was going to happen between us but I crossed the line and scared you." He admitted.

Ann stopped with a look of disbelief on her face. "You didn't put me in a situation that I didn't want to be in Danny because I threw myself at you. _I_ put _you_ in a situation that you had to push me away because _I_ crossed the line."

"I think it's fair to say we _both_ did because neither of us wanted to put the brakes on things before they got out of hand." Danny sighed. "We were so busy feeling that we didn't think and that got us both to really realize the trouble it was getting us into."

"So what are we supposed to do about this? I don't like not being able to see you but if we can't trust ourselves to be alone and not letting it lead to something I don't see any other solution." He could hear the frustration in her voice and understood it.

"What did your parent's do?"

She shrugged her shoulders and it was her turn to sigh. "They set limits and stuck to them. They tried not to put themselves in situations that would test those limits and they spent a lot of time with your parents and their other friends. Mama told me how difficult it was for them sometimes but she would remind herself that she didn't want to end up in a situation where she and Dad would have to get married. She wanted them to marry when they were ready and on their own terms."

"So it seems to me that we need to follow their example." He said in a matter of fact way.

"It sounds so simple."

Danny reached over and took her hand in his. It was cool to his touch and told him how nervous she was. "I know it's not simple Ann but neither are my feelings for you. If all we wanted from each other was a physical relationship we would have done something about it before I flew out. But we want more than that and we need to learn how to go about it."

"Are you talking about courtship?"

It was such an old-fashioned word but he didn't know how else to describe what it was that he wanted, and he nodded. "We've finally admitted that we've gone too far but not so far that we have to deal with some serious consequences. It seems as though we've been given a second shot at this and I want to do it right. I love you Annie and I don't want to lose you over this."

"I love you too and I feel better now than I have in a long time. It seems as though we finally understand now what we've been doing and how it's been making things more difficult for us. We've set real limits that we should have set a long time ago and I think it's going to make our situation that much easier to handle." She smiled and Danny thought that she looked relieved.

"I'm sorry I put us in the situation in the first place."

Ann shook her head. "We wouldn't have gotten there if I hadn't helped, so I'm as much responsible for where we ended up as you. So if we're starting with a clean slate I think that we should go back to the Black Cat and have dinner. I haven't had much of an appetite lately and suddenly I'm really hungry. Besides, I think Hank and Evelyn may need a referee before the evening is over."

"So am I." He smiled and let go of Ann's hand as they turned around and walked back toward the cafe. Ann, however tucked her hand through his arm and put her head on his shoulder for a moment.

"Is this all right?"

"It's fine Ann, honestly." He assured her as they went back to the diner and rejoined their friends for the evening.


	46. So Much To Be Thankful For

Danny always enjoyed spending time at his grandparent's place in Tennessee and it was even nicer when it was Thanksgiving.

Gramps always went hunting for the turkey with a group of old friends the day before while he, Dad and Major Walker chopped enough firewood so no one would have to bother with it on Thanksgiving. And while they did that Grams, Mama and Mrs. Walker did as much as they could while they waited for the bird to show up.

Grams told him once that she always liked to prepare as much as possible the night before so that on Thanksgiving morning she could concentrate on putting the freshly plucked bird in the oven and keeping an eye on _it_ and not much else. Pies were already baked and kept in the icebox before they would be put in the warmers as they sat down to eat so they would be ready with the hot coffee that never seemed to run out after dinner.

But that was still a day away and Dad had left him to finish chopping wood while he and the major took care of other chores while Gramps was gone. He was off of his crutches more than he was on now, as his doctor had left it to him to decide how much he wanted to use them. He was well into his rehabilitation and his therapist constantly had to caution him not to push himself too hard. It wasn't a matter of re-injuring his leg, but possibly causing a new injury.

It felt good to be able to able to use his muscles because it was helping him regain his strength and his stamina. He had begun to run again, but that was limited by his lack of endurance, which frustrated him no end. He put it all in perspective though when he thought about the fact that he could have lost the very leg he was rehabilitating, but didn't because of the skill of his orthopedic surgeon.

"You're going to chop up every tree in Shelby if you stay out here much longer." He heard Ann's voice as the axe came down dead center in the middle of the large stump and the two halves separated and fell to the ground. He looked up and saw her standing on the side porch; her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her wool jacket. She was dressed for work on the farm and knew that Grams send her out to milk the cow to start the morning.

"Not every tree Annie, just most of them." He smiled back as he picked up one of the halves and placed it in the center of the old tree stump Gramps used to chop wood. He swung again and the half was quartered as those two pieces fell away.

"You're very good at that." She commented and in the late afternoon dusk couldn't tell if her cheeks were flushed from the cold or something else.

"It's like riding a bicycle, you never really forget. I had to chop my share of firewood when we lived here and Gramps always makes sure that I take my turn when we come back." He explained and felt a warmth spread through him as she stood and watched him. "So what are you doing out here besides distracting me?"

"You look very much the young farmer Danny, much like Gramps did when he was young I suspect." She commented on his attire and he supposed he did. The long underwear under his clothes helped to insulate him from the cold, as did the wool socks that he wore inside his heavy boots. The soft flannel shirt that was tucked inside his dungarees covered a wool shirt he wore underneath and the flannel sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. He knew that he looked like any number of farmers in Shelby County.

"I'm not used to wearing so many layers of clothing." He laughed. "The weather doesn't change much at home and I always forget how cold it is this time of year here. It sure makes me glad that I keep a set of clothes packed away for our winter visits here."

Ann laughed in return and he felt goose pimples travel up his arms. "I know what you mean. It looks so out of place to see a wool coat in my closet at home when the only time I wear it is when I'm here or in Ohio."

"Grams said that the whole clan is going to be here tomorrow." Danny knew that she knew but mentioned it anyway. "If the snow holds off, your grandparents and my grandparents from Philadelphia are going to be here. She thought it was important, after everything that happened in the last few months that we all be here."

"The last weather report said that it probably wouldn't snow until tomorrow night, so I hope that's true." She sighed. "It's been so long since we've all been together at the same time."

"It's going to be a nice day, that's for sure." He nodded in agreement and had a sudden idea. "I have this one log to finish and I was thinking that since you're here maybe you'd like to go for a walk with me before it gets too much colder and dark. I've been trying to walk as much as possible since we've been here and it's been awhile since _we've_ gone for a walk together."

"It might be kind of dicey with your crutches, are you sure about that?" Danny wasn't certain, but he thought that she might be avoiding him.

"I'm not going to use my crutches. That's why I suggested going before it gets dark. I don't want to chance finding a gopher hole in the dark and maybe undoing all the work I've done." He knew that he sounded a little defensive but it bothered him that she didn't seem to trust him. And that was his fault.

"You finish up with the log while I'll tell Mama that we're going for a walk and that we'll be back before dark." She was setting a limit and he was fine with that because too much mischief seemed to happen between them in the dark.

He watched her as she walked into the house before he turned his attention back to the second half of the stump and with another swing of the axe, cracked the wood but didn't split it all the way through. So with the blade stuck squarely in the middle, Danny took a deep breath before he picked up the axe handle with the partially split wood and brought it down as hard as he could and finished the job.

He gathered up the quartered pieces of wood and carried them to the wood box on the side porch outside the kitchen door before he retrieved the axe from the stump and carried it back to the shed. He hung it up where he'd taken it down hours earlier then closed the door before he walked back to the side of the house just as Ann came out of the kitchen bundled up against the cold and he observed that she'd put on her heavy gloves.

"Grams asked us to head toward the main road and keep an eye out for Gramps. She's getting a little concerned that he isn't home yet." She said as she met him at the bottom of the porch stairs. "She figures that he hasn't bagged anything yet and that's why he isn't here but she's concerned just the same."

"We'll head up that way first so we can check." He told her as he grabbed his heavy jacket off of the porch rail and pushed his arms through the sleeves as they walked away from the house. "I'm not sure why he keeps hunting for a turkey every year. It sure would be easier on him and Grams if they would just buy a turkey ready to roast."

"It makes sense to us because we didn't grow up the way they did, but I don't think they would have it any other way. Personally, I don't know why any man would go out before dawn to sit out in the woods and wait for a chance to shoot a bird that can't even fly. And if he's lucky to find his quarry and bring it home, he needs to clean it up and truss it up so Grams can stuff it and shove it in the oven." She finished with a shake of her head. "I don't know that I could live this life, or that I'd even want to."

"That's because you're not a country girl Annie." He said to her as he finished buttoning up his jacket. "You're a city girl and you're an Air Force brat to boot, but I know what you mean. I don't mind helping with the chores and getting up before dawn because I'm usually up before the sun anyway. But I don't know that I would want to do this as a livelihood either."

Ann laughed again and the lilting sound of it made Danny smile. "That's because you're not a country boy Danny, you're a city boy. And not only are you an Air Force brat, but an Air Force pilot to boot. We weren't meant for this life any more than our fathers were. But every time we come back here and help Grams and Gramps with everything that they have to do, I gain more respect for them. It's not an easy life they chose, but it's a life that makes them happy because they're together and that's the important thing."

As they walked up the dirt path toward the main road Ann seemed to move closer to him and it was so imperceptible that Danny wondered if it was his imagination until she took his arm and he knew it hadn't been.

"Are you happy Annie?" His voice was low so he wouldn't startle her with the sudden question.

"I'm happy to be here and to have our families here." She answered and Danny wondered if she was aware that she'd just avoided his question. "And I'm certainly happy that you didn't die in Vietnam."

"So am I but that isn't what I meant." He told her.

"I know what you meant and I'm not exactly sure how to answer that. Tom and Sarah McCawley chose a simple and humble life that I envy sometimes. Maybe it's because we live on a military base and our lives are so intertwined with the Air Force that it seems more complicated."

"Love and happiness shouldn't be complicated it should be simple." He mused.

"Perhaps it would have been simpler for _us_ if we had learned how the other felt emotionally first before learning how we felt physically." Ann sighed. "But that's water under the bridge."

"It is. But I think that we learned a lot from that and we're putting those lessons to use now." He grasped her gloved hand that was tucked through his arm and kissed the crest of her cheek.

"I do love you Danny, that hasn't changed." She put her head on his shoulder for a moment and it felt nice. It was the first time he could remember her being so close and his first impulse wasn't to kiss her. "Part of what's been bothering me about all of this is that we've been so busy flailing ourselves over what happened that we seemed to forget it."

"I love you too Ann and I don't believe that we forgot it. The fact is I've been afraid to say it because I didn't want you thinking that I was telling you for other reasons than it's how I feel about you." He admitted to her.

"And I was afraid to say it because it might have started something we couldn't finish." She added with a sigh. "That seemed to happen a lot."

"But now we know better." He wasn't quite sure who he was trying to reassure, himself or Ann so he decided to inject some humor into what was becoming another serious talk. "I really do love it here. It's peaceful and quiet and would drive me crazy after a few weeks."

Danny was gratified to see a smile replace the serious expression. "Just as much as the fast pace of a military base would drive Grams and Gramps crazy even though they love being able to go to the ocean."

"Six of one, I guess."

"That's it."

They reached the main road and Danny looked up one end of the two-lane road and checked down the other, no Gramps. He checked the time on his wristwatch and it was after four o'clock. The sun was beginning to go down and his grandfather was nowhere in sight.

"You're not worried are you?" He heard the concern in Ann's voice. "It's not dark yet and even if it were, he knows these roads."

He nodded. "I know he does. I just don't want to go back to the house and have to tell Grams I haven't seen him yet."

"I know you don't, so let's keep walking and give Gramps some time. Maybe if we're lucky we'll catch him as he's driving him down the road with a twenty-five pound turkey in the back of his truck."

That made him laugh and he put an arm around her shoulders, the way he used to. "I don't think it's going to be that big."

She smiled back at him. "It's going to have to be if Grams is going to feed an army tomorrow."

_He had to give her that. _"All right Annie, I'll keep my fingers crossed for a thirty pound turkey."

Ann rolled her eyes at him. "Now _that_ is asking for a miracle Lieutenant."

"It could happen Miss Ann, you never know." Danny felt a lightheartedness that had been missing in recent weeks and grinned.

"It's been quite awhile since you've called me that; it's nice to hear." She remarked quietly and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"It's been quite awhile since you've done that, thank you."

She looked a little self-conscious as she smiled again. "I think this is the time where we should be thinking about getting back to the house."

"I won't argue with that." He nodded his agreement and they began to walk back to the house. He slowed his gait because as they'd been talking dusk had begun to turn to dark and he was concerned because he couldn't see as well.

Ann seemed to understand and she took his arm again and stayed close as they picked their way down the road back to the house.

They'd gotten about half way there and he heard the rumble of his granddads' Chevy as it came down the road and he pulled up beside them. "Are you crazy son? It's almost as black as pitch out here and somethin' could happen to that leg."

He decided not to tell his grandfather that they were walking, in part to look for him and he grinned again. "That's why you saw us walking _back_ to the house Gramps."

"Don't be smart now." He smiled back. "Hop in and I'll give you a lift the rest of the way."

Danny knew that it wasn't an offer. It was an order and Ann knew it too because she didn't say anything. They walked around the front of the truck and he opened the passenger door and waited for her to get in. Once she was settled he got in next to her and sat down before he closed the door while Gramps put the truck in drive.

"It's nice to see the two of you out together. Mother was a little concerned that you were keepin' your distance." He commented as he kept his eyes on the road.

"It was just a misunderstanding." Ann sounded reassuring. "We haven't had much opportunity to talk lately because of my school load and his rehabilitation."

"And I've been flying a desk, so there hasn't been much time for us." Danny tried to back her up because Gramps looked a little dubious.

"There's always time if you want to make time." He frowned. "Sarah and I are always busy with somethin' around here but we don't neglect each other."

Danny wanted to say something but felt the touch of Ann's glove on his sleeve and he didn't.

"We're all right Gramps." She said. "And we've done a lot of talking this afternoon."

"That's good to hear honey. The worse thing that two people can do is not talk to each other because that leads to a lot of confusion." He imparted to them as he pulled up in front of the house. "I expect that Mother is a little worried so I'll go in and let her know that I'm all right. I'll also let her know that we've got one nice bird for tomorrow."

"What do you figure it weighs?" Danny couldn't help but ask.

"It's got to be twenty pounds at least. If we're lucky, it'll feed everyone with enough left for seconds." He answered as he shut down the engine and got out of the truck. "Come on you two. I ain't about to leave you out here alone in the dark."

Danny glanced at Ann and tried not to smile as he opened the door and stepped out. "Yes sir."

Ann slid over and followed him out and he closed the door behind her.

"You two go on in and get your daddies to help me. I don't want you puttin' any undue stress on that leg."

"Yes sir." He said again and took Ann by the elbow and walked her up to the front porch.

"Danny, do me a favor when you get inside and see how the fire is doin'. Your brother is a big help around here but he ain't much at keepin' the fire goin'. And make sure that your grandmother has enough wood for the stove."

"I've been chopping wood all afternoon, so there should be enough for the stove and the fireplace." He told his grandfather.

"Thank you son, I sure do appreciate that." Gramps nodded his head in approval.

"I'll get Dad for you." He assured the older man as he opened the storm door. Ann opened the front door, walked inside and Danny followed. He left her in front of the fire and found his grandmother in the kitchen.

"I thought I heard Tom's truck." She turned from the stove as he walked in.

"You did and he's got the turkey in the back." He smiled as a look of barely concealed relief passed over her face. "He asked for Dad and the major to help him."

"I'll do that for you son. You get off that leg now and go sit down in the parlor." Grams said as she walked to the kitchen door and took her coat from the coat rack, She opened the door, stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

Danny didn't have a choice but to do as his grandmother told him to do and go back out in the parlor. He hadn't noticed when he'd come in with Ann that the house was too quiet. Sarah and his brother were nowhere to be found and Shelby and Tom were scarce as well. He found Ann curled up on the sofa and she was reading.

He took his coat off and hung it up by the front door and walked back to the sofa and sat down on the opposite side. "I wonder where everyone is?"

"I imagine that Shelby and Tom were sent upstairs to do their homework but I don't have any idea where Sarah and Joe might be." She told him as she set her book down. "The first thing I noticed when we came in was how quiet it was."

"It's too quiet if you ask me. I'm used to a bunch of kids running around making too much noise." He commented.

"Danny, we haven't been a bunch of kids in a long time. Tom's the youngest and he's already in middle school."

"Don't remind me. It seems like yesterday sometimes that he was toddling around this place and your mother was trying to keep him from climbing the stairs." He smiled at the memory.

"I remember that. I think Dad finally came up with the idea to put a small gate across the bottom of the staircase to stop him." She laughed. "And Mama told him that she wished he'd come up with the idea when _I_ was a baby."

"You were a climber that's for sure. If it wasn't your parent's running after you it was mine or Gramps or Grams." He remembered. "I've always enjoyed my time here no matter how old I've been."

"So have I."

"I also enjoyed being able to talk to you today. We've been walking on eggshells with each other for the last few weeks and today was the first time that it felt as though everything had gone back to normal."

She nodded. "I know what you mean. There's something about this place that seems to set everything to rights and whatever problems any of us are having we seem to resolve them here."

He moved over on the sofa enough to take her hand in his and he looked into her eyes. "Thank you for loving me Ann. It means more to me than you'll ever know."

"Thank you for loving me because it's the one thing I'm most thankful for this year." She answered as she put her book down on the coffee table and curled up against him. He put his arm around her and she put her head down on his shoulder as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire and the companionship of the other's company.


	47. With Praise And Thanksgiving

She didn't know how early it was, but Ann knew it was too early to be awake and she didn't know exactly what had wakened her.

Maybe it was that she and Danny made their peace with things that had happened and now they were going to begin the process of moving forward. What that was going to entail she didn't have a clue, but she also knew that they would figure it out.

It was a very full house that had gone to bed the night before and Ann still marveled that her grandparents managed to find places for everyone to sleep. It was going to be impossible for them to accommodate Mrs. McCawley's parents and Mama's at the house but Grams made reservations for them at a small inn not far from the farm so they wouldn't have to travel a long distance after coffee and dessert. A young woman and her husband, who was recently discharged after he'd lost part of his leg during his first tour in Vietnam, ran it. They were a nice young couple, according to her grandmother who just wanted to settle down somewhere where they could have some peace and quiet.

This Thanksgiving was the first time Ann could remember when all of the grandparents would be together for a holiday and she was looking forward to meeting Mrs. McCawley's mother and father. Even though Danny's family usually went to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving and Ann and her family went to Ohio, Mrs. Johnson always sent her homemade fudge at Christmastime. If they stayed home, family and friends would eat it when they stopped by the McCawley's house or it would travel with them and Ann's family when they all went to Tennessee to see Grams and Gramps.

She heard the soft snoring from Sarah in the bed next to hers and when she finally looked at the clock, the pre-dawn light had been telling the truth. It was just past four-thirty and Ann realized that she wasn't about to go back to sleep. She tossed back the blankets and as the cold morning air hit her, she shoved her feet into her slippers, grabbed her chenille bathrobe from the foot of the bed and slipped her arms into the sleeves. She stood up and cinched the belt around her waist before she ran a hand through her hair.

Ann thought she'd heard a pair of work boots punch the floor earlier as the wearer made their way to the stairs. She didn't have any idea who it could have been since the room she was sharing with Sarah was the first one at the top of the landing. She opened the door, stepped out into the hall and the house was still dark with the exception of a small, lighted lamp on the hall table that Grams kept there as a nightlight.

She padded her way down the stairs and listened for the soft voices of her grandparents from the kitchen. It was quiet and that was unusual, though she could smell fresh brewed coffee so she knew they were already up. It dawned on her that they might be out in the barn cleaning the turkey to get it ready for roasting. That was a sight she could do without, especially this early in the morning.

What she didn't expect to see was anyone else up and was more than a little surprised to see Danny's silhouette through the front parlor window. Ann couldn't help but wonder how well he'd slept sharing a room with his younger brother and hers.

So she pulled her coat off of the coat rack and stepped outside to find out. When she opened the front door it was much colder than she'd anticipate but the sun was just starting to come up and decided that she wanted to see it.

"Have you lost your mind? It can't be more that twenty-five degrees out here!" The look on Danny's face was annoyed, as he cradled a cup of coffee in his gloved hands.

"Don't talk to me like a five-year old Danny." He was reverting to form and Ann didn't like it. "I know it's cold out here because I can feel it, I just wanted to watch the sun come up."

"You'd enjoy it more if you were dressed for it." He frowned.

"There's a fire in the fireplace and I'll thaw out." She challenged. "Are you always such a grouch in the morning?"

"I'm grouchy when I can't sleep and bunking with that brother of yours, and mine for that matter is no picnic." He sighed before he took a sip from the steaming cup.

Ann couldn't help but smile. "You're just spoiled because you always had your own room when you were living at home and you have your own place now."

Danny didn't seem to find the humor in her comment. "You forget that I shared a room with Hank for four years, but at least he didn't snore."

"Okay I'll give you that. Besides, I do understand what you're saying because Sarah snores too." She laughed.

"I'll tell her you said that." He said before he took another sip.

"You wouldn't be telling her something that I haven't already."

He was looking at her as though he was considering something and put his cup down on the side table. "If you insist on being out here you can't sit on the swing, it's too damn cold."

"That's your opinion." She answered because she had a feeling about what was coming.

"Yea it is and I happen to be right. I've been out here freezing my backside off for the last twenty minutes and I just want to save you the trouble."

"So if I'm not going to sit on the swing, where am I _supposed_ to sit?" She shoved her cold hands inside her jacket pockets and seriously considered going back inside, which _could_ be what he already had in mind.

"There's always my lap." He seemed to be daring her. "Your feet have got to be freezing by now and even with your coat on that cold has got to be cutting through that robe."

He wanted her to go inside, of that Ann had no doubt. But she wasn't about to let him send her back into the house like a parent would send his child because she was old enough to know her own mind and he was going to have to get used to it.

"If you insist." She told him as she came around and sat down, on his lap. His look let her know that he hadn't expected her to actually do it and wasn't too pleased that she had. "Don't make offers that you don't really mean, didn't your parents teach you that?"

"I thought it would send you into the house." He admitted and his face seemed to be flushed, but that could have been from the cold.

"I know and that's why I'm here." She confessed as she put a tentative arm around his neck. "You still haven't learned yet that I'm going to do the opposite of what you want me to do because I don't like being told what to do, _especially_ by you."

"You can be so damn stubborn." He shook his head and Ann felt one of his arms as it moved around her waist.

"But you love me anyway." She said softly as she put a hand on his cheek and when he looked at her he was smiling.

"That goes without saying Annie." His voice softened as he leaned close and kissed her. There was nothing hesitant about it because it was the kiss of a man very much in love and it sent a jolt of surprise through her, all the way down to her toes. He _had_ learned from their previous encounter however, because his arms remained around her waist even though she sensed that he wanted to do more.

_She_ had learned as well because she kept her arms around his neck as she kissed him back and resisted the impulse to let her hands find their way under the layers of clothing he wore. It wasn't difficult though because to allow their emotions to get the better of them again would only serve to prove them both liars.

"I've wanted to do that for the longest time." He said after he succeeded in clearing his throat after a second try. "I wanted to kiss you when we were on the sofa last night but it didn't feel right."

"So what changed between then and this morning?" She asked him and tried to will her rapid heartbeat to slow.

"It felt right this morning because I honestly didn't think about it until I did it." He admitted with a shrug before he slipped her legs off of his lap and stood up, his arm still around her waist. "The sun's coming up."

He stood her in front of him and kept her warm after he unbuttoned his coat and wrapped her inside of it. It was the first time in months that she felt content as she snuggled against him and believed that they had come through some kind of a trial and won.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her quietly and Ann felt his cheek resting on the top of her head. It felt right to have him so close, as though they were where they were supposed to be.

"I'm thinking about how much I love it here and how it seems to get harder to leave every time I come." She said on a sigh as he kissed her cheek.

"I never thought I'd ever want to live anywhere but Hawaii, but I'm beginning to rethink that." He answered. "Maybe it's because of what I went through that has me wondering."

"Wondering about what?"

"My life and what I want from it." Danny sounded cryptic and she didn't exactly know what he meant. "I never thought about anything else but flying since I was a kid because there wasn't anything else that ever held my interest. It was all consuming and nothing could dissuade me from doing everything I could to make that happen."

"It's true that you sacrificed a lot to get into the Academy, but you made it in and you graduated near the top of your class." It wasn't like him to be so introspective, but he'd had a lot of time on his hands after he'd been shot down and it sounded as though he'd done a lot of thinking. "But this is all old news. What's really on your mind?"

"Nothing set in concrete. I mean I haven't gone so far as to make decisions about anything, if that's what you're asking." He was becoming even more cryptic and Ann was now lost.

"What would you be making decisions about?"

"It's like I said nothing concrete." Was all he said before he backed away from her and buttoned up his coat. "Why don't you go get some coffee and enjoy that fire before everyone else gets up. I promised Gramps that I would help him fix the front gate before our other grandparents get here."

She could have protested the way he cut off further discussion, but she also knew that it would be useless to try and press him for more answers. None would be forthcoming. "Have you had any breakfast?"

"Grams made some of her stick to the ribs oatmeal after I got up, so that should hold me until dinner." He grinned at her. "Maybe if she's got that bird in the oven, she'll make some for you."

"I have a feeling that she's going to make it anyway." Ann smiled back at him and walked to the front door. When she turned around, Danny was already off the porch, walking toward the barn and she called to him. "Danny, is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine Ann, now get inside before Gramps sees you out here and yells at me." He laughed a moment before he turned toward the barn and disappeared around the side of the house.

More so than at any other time that the McCawley's and the Walker's had come to Tennessee together, Danny seemed at home. They all helped with the chores while they were there, that was always understood. But it seemed to Ann that Danny had taken on the role of farmer in a very real way on this trip and couldn't help but wonder if he were aware of it.

"It's nice to see that you and my grandson didn't freeze to death out there." Grams commented with a smile when Ann walked into the kitchen and put a cup of coffee down on the table in front of her. "I must admit that the two of you remind me of Tom and me when we were young and just married. We would sit out there together with a hot cup of coffee before we had to get our day started and talk. Or sometimes we would just sit and enjoy each other's company."

Ann sat down and put her cold hands around the warm cup. "I've never seen him like this. Usually he's chomping at the bit to get back to Hawaii and in the air. But he seems perfectly content to be here for this trip and he's been helping Gramps a lot more than he usually does."

Grams nodded as she sat down across from her and took a sip from her own cup. "Tom has been grateful for the extra hands, but it hasn't escaped his notice either how hard Danny's been working around here. It seems to me that boy has something on his mind that he isn't ready to talk about."

Ann nodded in agreement before she took a sip of coffee from her own cup. "He was being a little mysterious earlier. All he would tell me is that he's been doing a lot of thinking about his life and what he wants to do with it."

"It sounds as though he might be rearranging his priorities because of what he went through. He was a very lucky young man and it was probably the first time that he had to think about his own mortality. Twenty-three is awfully young to have to think in those terms and it may have been an experience that was so intense that it changed his life."

"It's odd to think about that because all he ever wanted was to be a pilot."

Grams nodded again. "And it may be that very decision that has him rethinking things. Danny is still a young man with his whole life ahead of him and as I said, he might be rearranging his life into something that none of us expected."

"Now I know where Danny gets that cryptic streak, from you." Ann smiled at her surrogate grandmother. "He'll say something to me, like he did when we were outside and not be direct about it. It's almost as though he wants to prepare me for something without telling me what it is."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know that he's deliberately trying to be cryptic honey, it could be something as simple as getting a feel from you for something that he has in mind. It wouldn't surprise me to see the two of you married in a couple of years and it's only natural that he wants your opinion on things."

_Marriage?_ That was the farthest thing from her mind.

"Don't look at me like that Ann. I knew your mother was going to have you before _she_ did and the same sort of feeling I had about her then, I have about you now." She scolded Ann gently at the look of incredulity that was surely written all over her face. "I must admit that I was a little uneasy when your father first told me about the two of you, only because all of you kid's have always seemed so much like brothers and sisters. But the first time I got to see for myself the way he looked at you, I knew that the good Lord intended for you to be together."

Ann shook her head. "I'm only eighteen, which is too young to get married."

"That's your father talking." Grams smiled. "_You_ are the only one who knows if you're too young. For reasons that I know you understand he was much more cautious then a lot of young men his age. He loved your mother deeply and if we hadn't been at war when he was courting her I have no doubt in my mind that they would have married much sooner than they did. But when I talk about you and Danny being together, I certainly didn't mean that you'd be married any time soon, that will be up to you."

Ann took another sip from her cup. "After what's happened to him, I don't think that Danny is in any hurry to get married and certainly not in the middle of another war."

"It's hard to know what might be going through his mind but I have no doubt that he'll let you know." She smiled. "Danny is like his father and grandfather because he can be very persuasive when he chooses to be."

Ann nodded and could feel her face warm. "I know."

Grams laughed and reached over to touch her arm. "I'm sure you do. While you're here, there's still some oatmeal on the stove if you'd like some. It's going to be a long day and I won't have time to make lunch for anyone."

"Don't worry about that Grams. If anyone gets hungry, they know where the cold cuts and bread are."

"That's very true." She agreed before she got up from the table. "I put the turkey in the oven just before you came in so I'm going to take care of some other things. Don't worry about the milking today because I've already taken care of it and once your granddad fixes that front gate we won't have anything to worry about except getting everything ready for our guests."

"It's nice to know that all of our hard work paid off." Ann laughed. "I don't know how you two do it sometimes."

"When you have a good man at your side that you love and love what you do, it's easy." She answered before she walked out of the kitchen.

Ann got up from her chair and walked to the stove to check on the oatmeal. She picked up a potholder to lift the lid of the pot and there was plenty for the rest of the family as she suspected there might be. She spooned some of the cooked oats into a bowl and added some cream and a sprinkling of sugar.

"You're up earlier that usual." Ann heard her mother's voice from the doorway.

"I heard someone head down the stairs and I couldn't get back to sleep." She admitted as she sat back down at the table. "It just seemed logical to stay up."

"And you've always been a logical girl Ann." Mama replied as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee before she took Grams seat. "I couldn't help but notice that you and Danny have barely spoken for the three days we've been here and suddenly you go for a walk last night. You've got a few people wondering what's going on."

"There's no big mystery Mama, he was ready to talk and so was I. So we went for a walk and cleared some things up." She said somewhat defensively, though she shouldn't have been.

"I'm not trying to pry Ann. For some reason I can't help but think that there's something at stake on this trip."

"What do you mean?" Mama was sounding cryptic as Danny had and it wasn't like her. She was always direct in what she had to say.

"It hasn't escaped anyone's notice how much Danny's been doing around here. Tom seems to think that he's got something on his mind that he doesn't want to talk about and his way of dealing with it is hard work. Has he said anything to you?"

Ann shook her head. "He hasn't been clear about anything, but Grams says she thinks that he's rearranging his priorities."

"Do you have any idea what that could be?" She seemed really curious and wondered if Dad and Mama had been talking about Danny.

"It's like I said he wouldn't be specific. But I know Danny well enough to know that to press him only makes him say less." Ann elaborated.

"Well then we won't say any more about it because Danny knows his own mind." Mama smiled. "We've got a big day ahead of us, don't we? My parents and Ev's parent's will be here for dinner and I do believe that it's the first time that all of our parents will be together for a holiday."

"That's the way Grams wants it this year." She smiled back. "I honestly don't know how she's going to fit all of us at one table."

"It's called ingenuity honey and I have no doubt that Sarah will come up with something." She stood up, picked up a cup from the table and walked back to the stove. She poured coffee into it before she warmed her own cup. "I talked your dad into staying in bed with the promise that I'd bring him a cup of coffee. You might think about getting dressed because you're grandparents are going to be here pretty soon."

"I will." She promised as she stood up and carried her oatmeal bowl to the sink. "But while it's still quiet, I'm going to warm up my coffee and go sit in front of the fire for awhile."

"All right Ann. Dad and I will be down soon." Mama told her as she carried the cups out of the kitchen and Ann watched as her mother walked back up the stairs.

"Did I hear your mother?" Grams asked as she came up from the cellar.

"You did and she was getting some coffee for Dad and herself."

"She's awfully excited about her folks coming. I don't believe that they've ever been here and I feel badly about that." She mused as Ann washed out her bowl and put it and the spoon in the dish rack.

"I don't think it ever occurred to them Grams." Ann told her as she filled her cup again. "Besides, you may have just started a new family tradition." And she left the kitchen.

A warm fire was crackling in the fireplace when Ann walked into the parlor. The radio was on and she could hear news about the war before she turned it down and curled up on the sofa. She took a sip from her warmed cup and couldn't help but wonder what had Danny so preoccupied.

He had something on his mind and she only hoped that he would tell her what it was.


	48. Family Ties

By early afternoon, the house was full and Danny knew it was a Thanksgiving Day that he would always remember.

Mama's parent's and Mrs. Walker's parents had arrived and while Gramps took Grandpa Johnson and Mr. O'Connell on a tour of the farm, Grandma Johnson and Mrs. O'Connell chose to stay in the house and help with the final preparations before dinner was put on the table.

While their mother's and grandmother's were in the kitchen Ann was in the parlor ironing the tablecloth. Danny enlisted the aid of his brother and hers to put in the two table leaves that would extend the dining table so that it would fit all sixteen people. Sarah counted out the silverware while Shelby counted out the china pieces that would be set.

Grams came out of the kitchen when Ann called that she was done with the pressing. She helped her carry the tablecloth into the dining room as soon as the leaves were locked in place, so that it wouldn't wrinkle. As soon as it fluttered down into place Sarah began the task of setting out the silver while Shelby trailed behind and put the plates down.

Ann followed her sister with the linen napkins while Sarah organized the sideboard with the cups, saucers and plates for after dinner coffee and pie. It was a system they'd worked out together over the years whether it was a formal dinner or not because it meant that they would be able to eat that much sooner.

Danny watched the activity from the parlor after he'd carried more wood in from the wood box on the front porch and got a sudden and uninvited picture in his mind of a younger version of himself and of Ann helping their mother get ready for dinner. It wasn't a scenario he was prepared for and in his surprise proceeded to drop the armful of wood he held.

The noise of it brought his mother, grandmothers and Ann out of the dining room and kitchen in a panic.

"Are you all right son?" Mama asked with a look of concern.

"You didn't hurt your leg, did you?" Grams asked as she stood next to Grandma Johnson.

How could he explain to them that he thought he might have gotten a glimpse into the future and he wasn't ready for it?

"I'm sorry for scaring you." He said to no one in particular but glanced at Ann. "I was thinking about something and wasn't watching what I was doing."

"Is your leg all right?" His mother asked.

"My leg is fine Mama. Luckily I was standing over the wood box so it all landed where it should of." He forced a smile on his face to try and reassure them, but it wasn't how he felt inside because all that image managed to do was muddle his already jumbled thoughts.

"All right." The look on her face was one of caution and a little worry. "Why don't you go wash up and get dressed for dinner. We're almost ready to go in there and once we round up the other men, we'll be getting ready to sit down."

"Sure Mama." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Try not to look so worried, my leg is fine."

"It's a mother's prerogative to worry Danny." She smiled at him and patted his arm.

"Yes, Ma'am." He answered her with a genuine smile of his own and when he started to walk toward the stairs, Ann was no where to be found. She'd stayed out of his way the whole day and not for the first time, he wondered if he should have baited her the way he did that morning but he couldn't seem to help it. She'd made herself an unwitting target for him because it had been so long since he'd held her in his arms and kissed her.

But the feel of her warmth nearly did him in because his hands knew what they wanted to do as he felt her arms wind around his neck and it took some stern talking from his brain to tell his hands to stay where they were. He sensed from her too that her hands wanted to wander because he could almost feel the struggle within _her _and he'd wished at that moment that they would. But of course they didn't because he knew they couldn't.

His family had been keeping a close eye on him this trip and it didn't have as much to do with his leg than with how much he was helping his grandfather around the place. More than once, Dad would look absolutely perplexed when Danny would volunteer to help with any of the repairs or chores that needed to be done. It wasn't that he was helping, because they all did but it was how _much_ he was helping.

But working helped him think and he knew that it wasn't much of a mystery to anyone that he was thinking a lot and he still wasn't sure what the answer was going to be. He walked up the stairs and tried to remember if he'd gotten his suit out of the closet because Mama told him if he'd do that for her, she would press it when she and Sarah took care of Joe's suit and Dad's.

As he reached the landing and headed down the hall toward the room that he was sharing with Joe and Tom he heard the door of Sarah and Ann's room open. When he looked to see who was there he was grabbed by his arm and pulled inside. He could see that there was a small lamp lit between Sarah and Ann's beds before he heard the door close behind him.

Now he knew where Ann disappeared.

The look on her face stopped his heart for just a moment because he knew then that he'd left her frustrated from that morning. "Please don't say anything."

"Annie, I'm sorry." He apologized and wasn't sure if it was because he'd kissed her earlier or because he wasn't sorry he had.

"Don't be sorry." She sighed as she approached him and put her arms around his waist.

"We can't do this, especially _here_." He tried to hold off what he was sure was coming.

"Nothing's going to happen, I just want you to kiss me." She swore and the look in her eyes told him that he could believe her. "Please. Today was the first time you've kissed me in months and I've missed being so close to you."

"I've missed you too Ann. I'm just afraid that if we start something that we know we can't finish, we'll both end up frustrated." He sighed in return because he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, for starters.

"Danny, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't believe that we haven't learned anything. But I haven't thought of anything else this entire day and we probably won't get another chance tonight." She punctuated her request with a gentle touch against his flannel shirt.

He put a hand to her cheek and smiled. "It's a damn good thing that those hands aren't under my shirt or we would really be in some trouble." And then he kissed her.

When she kissed him back he felt her arms tighten around his waist as he wrapped his arms around her and caressed her in response. There was nothing tentative about their actions but Danny was very well aware that they didn't have a lot of time and he never allowed his arms to leave her back, there was just too much at stake.

He heard her sigh as she broke their kiss and snuggled against him. "Thank you."

He grinned at her breathy gratitude. "Believe me Annie, it was my pleasure."

They stood together, just holding the other and Danny would have been content with that until his body told him otherwise and he stepped away from Ann before she could find out too. But from the flush on her smiling face, however he realized that he hadn't moved fast enough. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for loving me Danny." She smiled.

"I've never been sorry for that Ann." He answered her softly as he leaned in and kissed her again. He felt her hands caress him through his shirt as he struggled with the urge to deepen his kiss and it was then that he knew it was time to leave. "I have to go."

"I know." Her voice was a husky whisper and Danny had no doubt that she was feeling much the same things that he was.

Her arms slipped from around his waist and he took her hands in his because he wasn't ready to let her go just yet. He looked into her eyes and they had a sparkle to them that he had not seen in months and it made him smile. "I haven't told you recently how much I love you."

"You've let me know." She told him and he knew what she meant.

"But I haven't said the words to you." He nodded in understanding. "I know it isn't necessary to say it all the time because then the words lose their meaning. But I also think that it's something that we need to hear every once in awhile."

"Well then, using _your_ logic it's my turn to tell you how much I love you because I haven't really said it either." Her smile grew wider.

"Then I guess that makes us even." He joked with a squeeze of her hands.

She grabbed his hand before he let her go and her look turned serious. "You _are_ going to let me in on what you're thinking eventually, aren't you?"

"I'm not keeping anything from you, I promise. It's just that if I tried to explain to you what it was that I was thinking it wouldn't make any sense because it still doesn't make much sense to me." He knew that it sounded as though he were avoiding her question but he didn't know how else to put it.

"I don't know what it is about you McCawley's that you have to be so cryptic about things." She sighed before he let go of her hands.

"I wouldn't say McCawley quite like that if I were you, it might be _your _name one of these days." The words slipped out before he had the chance to think about them and felt his face burn as soon as he heard them because Ann looked absolutely floored. But he gave her a lot of credit because she recovered quickly.

"And what makes you think that I want it?" She asked before she started to laugh. "Walker is a much better name and easier to spell."

"What is it about you Walker's and the _spells_ you cast?" Danny couldn't help but grin at his play on the word spell. "You sure as hell cast one over me."

"Are you calling me a witch?" He knew that she was enjoying their word game as he was and it spurred him on.

"No, but when you kiss me it _is_ bewitching." He added and wanted so much to prove it to her. But he also knew that as much as he enjoyed sparring with her, it did have it's limits and they were reaching theirs.

Ann saved him, however when she rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you actually said that."

"I seem to remember telling you that on our first date and I got a kiss for it." He teased.

She let out an exaggerated sigh. "You must still be feeling the effects of that concussion Daniel. What you said was that I had magic in my lips."

"You do Miss Ann." Danny laughed softly, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention from downstairs. "Believe me."

"I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled before he gave her a quick kiss and put his hand on the doorknob. "I'm going to take a shower and change into my suit. If you want to wait for me, I'll walk you downstairs."

She smiled back and he could see that she liked the idea. "That would give everyone something to talk about."

"That's not why I want to do it."

"I know that and it's not why I'll go downstairs with you. I want to do it because I'll be very proud to walk into the dining room on your arm." She assured him.

"That means more than you know."

Ann's smile grew. "Go take your shower before someone comes up here and finds us together."

"Yes Ma'am." He answered her before he turned and opened the door. He looked to his right to make sure no one was coming up the stairs and to his left to make sure that the coast was clear the other way, then he turned back to Ann. "I'll be back for you in about twenty minutes."

"I'll be ready." She promised as he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

Twenty minutes later as promised he knocked on her door and as Ann said she would be was ready. She was dressed in the way that she preferred, simply. He was no fashion expert but he thought her choice of a skirt, blouse and cardigan was a good one. She wore her favored flat-heeled shoes and Danny thought she looked nice. He told her so and she smiled and returned the favor.

"You look very nice in that suit Danny."

"It feels a little odd being in a suit and not a uniform, but I thought that if I wore it I would be overdoing it." He grinned self-consciously.

"It doesn't matter to me because you're handsome either way." She said as her face flushed.

"Thanks Annie." He kissed her cheek before he took her hand and they walked down the stairs together. When they got to the bottom their whole family was there, in the parlor and the dining room. The looks from all seemed somewhat expectant and Danny wasn't sure why.

"My goodness, you two make a handsome couple." Grandma Johnson smiled at them. "This is the first time since Evelyn told me about you that I've had the chance to see you together."

Danny glanced at Ann and her face flamed red. "She's the one that makes us look good Grandma."

"I'll second that." Mr. O'Connell grinned and walked to Ann and hugged her. "You look very smart Annie girl."

"Thanks Grandpa. You look pretty smart yourself in that suit." She answered.

"We're not trying to embarrass you honey, believe it or not. It's like Faye said it's the first time we've seen you together." He hugged her again.

"All right now James that's enough, you're making your granddaughter blush." Mrs. O'Connell approached and took her husband's arm. "We're just waiting on your grandparents. Sarah wants to wait before putting the food on the table because she thinks it's going to be another ten minutes before the turkey is ready. In the meantime, your mother has asked that everyone go out to the parlor so when the turkey _is_ ready, we can put the food on the table."

"Does that mean that we have time to go for a short walk?" Danny asked her.

"I wouldn't advise it." She told him. "But I don't think it would be a problem if you just went out on the front porch."

"What do you say Ann?" Danny asked her and she nodded her consent. "We'll be right out front."

"All right son." Mrs. O'Connell agreed and Danny walked Ann to the front door, where he took her coat off the coat rack and helped her into it before he put on his own.

They stepped out into the early evening cold just as the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared and the sky began its turn from a slate blue into an inky black. The stars were just starting to blink on and the porch light did too.

Danny laughed softly as he took Ann's hand. "I think we've been issued a warning."

"With a house full of people, I don't think we can get away with much." She shrugged her shoulders.

"You seem to forget that I got away with kissing you _last_ Thanksgiving."

"That's true." Ann laughed. "But we were in Hawaii without a couple of coats between us. And I didn't love you then."

"Good point." He nodded his agreement. "But here we are a year later with two coats between us and we're in love."

He saw her right eyebrow rise and he knew she'd detected his challenge. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you just dared me to kiss you."

"I don't have to do that do I?" He grinned.

"I won't give you the opportunity." Her voice was soft as she took hold of the front of his coat, boosted herself up on her toes and kissed him.

"That's the best you can do?" Danny teased her as she struggled to stay up on her toes.

"A little help from the peanut gallery would be nice." She quipped as she held onto his coat.

"Are you calling me a nut?" He asked and tried to keep a straight face.

"Of course not, but I _am_ nuts about you." She seemed to be trying to stifle a laugh because she knew what was coming.

"I can't believe you actually said that." He repeated her earlier words with a grin. "But since you asked for some help it's my job as an officer and a gentleman to oblige." And as best he could he put his arms around Ann and picked her up.

She put her arms around his neck and smiled. "That's much better."

"I aim to please Miss Ann so be quiet and let me kiss you before someone starts blinking that porch light." He admonished her gently before he kissed her and the porch light began to flash off and on.

_It would figure. _He sighed before he loosened his hold on her.

"If we were married, they wouldn't be able to do that." She said with her own sigh and the look on her face when she finally managed to look at him was of surprise.

He could have made a joke of it as Ann had earlier but chose not to. The very fact that marriage was suddenly part of their conversation told him that their relationship had made yet another turn and when they got home they were going to have to talk about it.

_Marriage? _


	49. What The Future Holds

Damn crutches!

Just when he thought that he'd seen the last of them his doctor ordered him to stay on them for a little while longer. It frustrated him because he wasn't an old man who couldn't walk without help; he was a healthy twenty-three year old who wanted to walk on his own. But it seemed that the United States Air Force wanted his two feet planted firmly on the ground for the duration and Danny was beginning to wonder when he would get his chance to fly again, although he had also begun to wonder if he _wanted_ to.

He still had his pilot's wings for all the good they did him and not for the first time since he'd come home from his grandparents wondered if maybe it wasn't a sign. Danny McCawley had never been the type of guy who believed in signs but they seemed to be all around him when he was in Shelby and he was beginning to see them at home as well.

His life seemed to slowly be moving away from flying and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Flying was all he ever thought about as a kid and it was all he ever wanted to do, as his father had. But he'd had a hell of a lot of time to think after he'd been shot down and even more when he was recuperating in the hospital. And the two things he knew that were most important to him were his family and Ann.

The constant thought that dogged him while he tried to survive in North Vietnam was that he didn't want to go home in a box. He didn't want his family to get a visit from the base chaplain and his squadron commander explaining how he died and he didn't want Ann to go through the rest of her life wondering, "What if?"

And now he had to deal with crutches because his doctor felt that his leg still needed some support. He should have stayed on the damn things more when they were in Tennessee but he felt that he could do without them.

Hank and their squadron were gone when Danny returned so he didn't have his best friend to hash it all out with. He _could _talk to Dad but he didn't know exactly what it was that he wanted to say. With Hank, he could just say what would come to his mind and Hank would help him sort it all out in a way that it made sense.

He could talk to Ann but she was having problems of her own and he didn't want to add to them. School was not going well for her and all she would tell him was that she couldn't keep her mind on her studies because none of her classes seemed very interesting. Danny remembered that feeling and tried to encourage her to keep at it, but something told him that he might be fighting a losing battle on that front.

After a lot of deliberation, Danny drove to his parent's house so he could talk to his mother. She was a good sounding board, as Dad was but she had a way of turning his words back on him when he wasn't thinking clearly and could usually get him to do just that.

At least he was able to drive again. Even with the restriction of crutches, he now had the freedom of his own car to get around him and it helped to make things a little more bearable. Would a jet be far behind?

He knew that Sarah was at work and Joe was in school when he stopped by. He also knew that Dad wouldn't be home for another hour or so and hopefully they wouldn't have any interruptions. He hobbled up to the front porch and his mother was there, as he knew she would probably be with her afternoon cup of coffee. "Why the frown Danny?" She asked as he stepped up on the porch and sat next to her on the swing. He propped the crutches up against the house and sighed.

"Those are two of the reasons."

"I know you think that the doctor is being overly cautious but I have to agree with what he's doing." She stated. "Considering how badly damaged your leg was I consider it a small miracle that you didn't lose it. And if staying on them for a little longer gives him the reassurance he needs to clear you for flying again then you need to stop sulking like a child and do what he tells you."

"I'm not sulking."

"You most certainly _are_." Mama laughed and took one of his hands in hers. "Which is odd because you never sulked when you were little. You would get frustrated because you couldn't do something that you wanted to do, but you never sulked. You just kept working at what ever it was until you did it. And yet here you are hampered, and _temporarily_ I might add by the very things that have helped your leg heal and you can't seem to appreciate it."

"I do appreciate it Mama, I do."

"Then what is it? You've seemed so restless and unhappy for the longest time and Dad and I were chalking it up to the fact that your recovery was taking longer than any of us expected it to. We also couldn't help but notice that Ann was keeping her distance and we didn't know why. But then we got back to your grandparents and you seemed to light up like a Christmas tree."

Danny never told his parents what happened between he and Ann the afternoon that they were alone together and thought maybe now he should. He knew he would catch hell for it, but it was time they knew. "I gave her cause to keep her distance."

"And why was that?" She asked him and Danny could sense that she was bracing herself for something that she didn't want to hear.

"I asked her to help me with a sponge bath one afternoon and things started to get out of hand."

She was quiet for the longest time and he wondered what she was thinking. And when she finally _did_ speak it was with a frown and an exasperated sigh. "Daniel McCawley, what on _earth_ possessed you to put her in such a position?"

"You're not going to like the answer." He was honest with her.

"I probably won't, but you need to tell me anyway." She pressed.

"I wanted her and it didn't matter that I had a broken leg at the time." Danny cringed at the way it sounded because he felt like a jerk and sounded like a man who only wanted one thing.

"Should I ask if this is the first time you've been in a situation you shouldn't have been in?"

It was Danny's turn to sigh. "It wasn't the first time."

Mama looked at him and her frown deepened. "I am more disappointed in you Danny than I have ever been. I know that you love Ann but part of loving her is respecting her and respecting boundaries. And those boundaries do not include taking marital liberties with her."

He wanted to assure her that it hadn't gone that far even though it easily could have. "It never went past the point of no return."

"You may think that I'm the last person to be lecturing you on acceptable behavior." She admitted with a look that was troubled. "But it's because of what happened between your dad and me that we are so adamant that our children not repeat what we did. There is a time and a place for those things and as frustrated, as I know it can get, it's not time for that yet."

Danny nodded and held his mother's hand in a firm grasp. "If it makes you feel any better, we talked about all of that when we were back there. Things between Annie and me were moving too fast and it seemed that all we could do was feel things instead of thinking them through. When she was here that afternoon it shook us both up pretty badly because we finally realized that we had to start thinking."

"She's grown up so much in the last year and I think that she's a good match for you."

"So do I Mama." He couldn't help but smile.

"So if you and Ann have settled things there's only one other reason I can think of that would be keeping that frown on your face." She searched his face for an answer.

"I feel like I want to get back in the air. I'm still not as strong as I need to be, but that's because the doctor is limiting the time I can run and he won't let me off these crutches."

"Do you think that he's doing it deliberately?"

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It feels like it sometimes though."

"Then I think you need to talk to him and ask him to explain his reasons for not letting you put much weight on your leg." She squeezed his hand in reassurance. "You may not _feel_ it, but he might have found something in your last x-ray that is prompting him to proceed with more caution than you would like."

That didn't make any sense because his doctor was always straightforward with him and he told his mother the same thing. "He's never held anything back when we've talked about my leg, why would he do it now?"

"Maybe he's doing it because he feels that you're not ready yet." She said quietly. "You went through an ordeal that your father can't really understand. You were alone, badly injured and had a lot of time to think. And it seems to me that you're still thinking; maybe your doctor sees it too."

"It's amazing how much thinking a man can do when he has the time." Danny admitted to her. "And you're right; I have been doing a lot of thinking."

"Do you want to tell me?"

He shook his head. "This is something I need to talk to Ann about first and I'm still not ready to do that."

"Fair enough." She nodded and she let go of his hand before she started to stand.

"Mama, did you ever think that you would end up being an Air Force wife? Or did you think that we would stay in Tennessee after the war was over?"

She settled back in the swing and put down her coffee cup that she'd picked up off the side table. "I always had the feeling that we would come back here if it were humanly possible. Your Dad would never admit it but he was unhappy from the moment we left Oahu. Flying was his whole life and being a part of the military is something that still gives him a great sense of pride. When he gave that up, I don't think he realized how much of himself that he would be giving up as well. You also need to remember that all of you were born here and that was something that was important to him too."

"Do you think you'll stay here when he retires?"

"That's our plan honey. We've been saving for a house since we came back and we figure that we'll be able to find a nice little place near here when the time comes. In the meantime, however we're not going anywhere." Mama had a look of barely concealed curiosity.

"I always thought that this would be where I would always live." He said to no one in particular.

"I know that's what you want Danny, but it's not up to you where you end up. If the Air Force needs you some place other than Wheeler then that's where they'll send you."

He nodded and then sighed. "I already knew that when I got into the Academy because _we_ knew there was always the chance that Dad could be transferred from here at a moment's notice and I always thought it was strange that my first assignment out of the Academy was Wheeler. It almost felt as though it was where I was meant to be."

"And where do you think it is that you'll be next?" She asked him gently.

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out." Danny told her and got the feeling that his mother understood what he was after with his questions. "I'm glad that we went back to Shelby for Thanksgiving this year. It gave me the chance to help Gramps and begin to sort things out."

"There _is_ something a little magical about your grandparents place, maybe because the pace there is so much slower than it is here at Wheeler. You certainly seemed to fit in much more than you ever have." She prompted.

"As much as a guy can enjoy hard work, I really did." He laughed.

"It's something that you're used to."

Danny shook his head in disagreement. "The work I did with Gramps and Dad and Major Walker was different because instead of using my mind I really had to use my body. It's such a different feeling to be able to do something that's physically demanding and not always have to think three steps ahead. I knew what needed to be done and I did it. And because I've done it often enough it meant that I could think about other things."

"You really _have_ been doing a lot of thinking and if you don't mind my saying it sounds as though you might be rethinking your Air Force career." She surmised and looked a little deflated when he nodded.

"My commitment to the Air Force will be up in June and it was never an issue about my staying in. It was always a given that I would sign up for another tour and more than likely stay here." He shrugged and realized that he'd all but told his mother what had been whirling through his jumbled mind.

"If you don't re-sign for another tour do you have something in mind?" She asked and Danny felt that she already knew.

"Nothing set in stone yet."

"From the time you were nine years old all you wanted to do was be a pilot like your dad, but he wanted you to go to college. You understood that and to get what you wanted and give him what _he_ wanted you knew the only way to do that was get into the Air Force Academy." Mama let out a deep sigh and took his hand again.

"But in order to do _that_, you gave up being a little boy and a young man because you had to keep up with your studies in order to keep your grades up. I would never had told you this at the time but Dad and I worried so much about what you were giving up but you kept saying that it was what you wanted. And I sometimes wonder that if you'd just gone into the Air Force as an Airman and learned to fly you wouldn't have had to give up your childhood."

"It was hard sometimes because there never seemed to be enough time to do all the things that I would have liked to do." He conceded. "But I _did_ enjoy my time at the Academy because what I was doing was much more important than just earning a degree. I was lucky enough to make a friend for life and I got to be around other guys who were just as dedicated as _I_ was to being a part of the service."

"Whatever it is that you decide to do, Dad and I will support you."

"Even if you don't agree with it?" He asked.

"We'll cross that bridge Danny if we need to. What _you_ need to do for _us_ though is to continue to think about this. We just want you to be absolutely sure about any decision you make that it's what you really want, no matter what that decision is."

"I appreciate that Mama."

She let go of his hand and stood up, picking up her coffee cup as she did. "You're welcome to stay for dinner if you like."

"Thanks Mama, but I think I'll pass. I wouldn't be very good company and I don't really want to talk about this to anyone else."

"That's all right. Do you have something at home to eat?"

"I'll scrounge up something." He smiled at her.

"Danny." She began to protest as he stood up next to her and grabbed his crutches.

"Don't worry, I _will_ eat something." He promised her as he tucked the crutches under his armpits and hobbled to the edge of the porch. "Say hi to everyone for me."

"I will." She said as she followed him. "Danny, I think you need to talk to your dad about this. I know that you want to talk to Ann, but I think that Dad should know too."

"I'll talk to him." He reassured her.

"Thank you." And she kissed his cheek. "Drive safely now, it's getting dark."

He thumped down to the walk and stopped. "I will Mama." And he continued toward his car.

When he reached the sidewalk and made his way around to the driver's side he stopped and looked around. Mama stood on the porch waving at him and he waved back and watched her walk into the house. He looked out at the ocean and listened to the surf as the waves came in and the setting sun glinted off of the water in reflection. It was a sight he'd missed when he was in Colorado and didn't think that he'd ever want another kind of a view.

But there were similar sounds he'd heard in Tennessee that were much like the sound of the surf and knew that as long as he could here that, Oahu would never be that far away.


	50. A Father Daughter Chat

**A/N: **Sorry it's been so long kids. My working life has been hectic of late and hasn't left me much time for writing. It's a problem as well because Danny and Ann keep changing their stories and just when I think I've got them pegged they want to do something different. But I'll do my best to pin them down with what's going to happen so I can continue on a regular basis. So please bear with me while our two young lovers decide just what in the heck they want to do because they sure aren't telling _me_ much.

* * *

"You've been awful quiet Annie, what goin' on?"

Ann glanced up from her favorite spot on the porch swing with an open book in her lap to see her father standing in the doorway looking a little worried. "I haven't been quiet Dad. I've been studying, a lot."

"It seems to me that you've been havin' a real hard time with it when studyin' always seemed to come so easy to you." His frown deepened as he sat down and put an arm around her shoulders. She put her head down on his shoulder and couldn't help but wish that she were twelve years old so Dad could solve her problems for her. "I imagine that college is a whole different thing from high school and you're havin' some trouble gettin' your feet wet."

"It didn't start out in the best way that's for sure. Danny was still missing and we didn't have any idea where he was or _how_ he was." She sighed. "It was all that I could think about for weeks and school didn't seem so important."

"I know honey. It ain't overstatin' it to say that your mama was worried about you and we wondered if maybe we should have pulled you out. But we hoped goin' to class and studyin' would help keep your mind occupied so that you wouldn't worry so much. And now it seems that you've lost interest." He was direct as always.

Ann sat up so she could look at him. "I wish I knew exactly _what_ it is that I'm feeling. I seem to be stuck between wanting to be a kid and wanting to be an adult. I want you and Mama to tell me what to do but I know if you try, I'll resent it."

"Sounds to me like you're scared; it's as simple as that. You want to stand on your own two feet but you ain't sure if you're ready yet and maybe I didn't help much with that." His look was serious. "When you first started talkin' about college I hoped that you would go to school here so you wouldn't have to leave us. Mama thought it would have been a good experience for you to live in the dormitory because you would have gotten a feel for livin' on your own but it didn't make sense to me. If you were goin' to go to school _here_ why would you live in a dormitory? But now I'm thinkin' that I should have let you do it because it would have been a good experience for you."

"That's only part of it though Dad."

"I know that. Danny McCawley is a big part of this and that's got you scared too. I don't mind sayin' that things were movin' too quickly for my likin' and I was a little worried that things might get out of hand. But Mama kept tellin' me that I had to trust you and trust Danny. But the way you two were avoidin' each other for awhile at Thanksgivin', I'd say that somethin' did." He said it without accusation, but the disappointment in his voice was evident.

"But not so far that we couldn't put a stop to it." She said it so quietly because she was embarrassed that her father had figured it out.

"If you weren't already eighteen, I'd ground you until you were twenty-one." The tone of disappointment became anger, but he never raised his voice. "Good Lord Annie, this is exactly the sort of thing that we were tryin' to avoid. Or have your mama and I been talkin' to ourselves all this time?"

"No Sir, you haven't. We knew that we were pushing things, but we couldn't seem to help it." She cringed as she finished because it sounded so awful.

"That's because you were reactin' to the closeness of each other instead of listenin' to your conscience. I don't think I've ever been disappointed in you because you've never given me a reason, but I am now. You've never been a girl that doesn't think things through and it seems that you ain't done a lot of thinkin' when it comes to Danny."

"If you thought that things were moving too fast, then why did you let me stay with him when he was in the hospital?" She'd always wanted to ask but never had the opportunity, until now.

"Because he was unconscious and I knew that nothin' could happen. And I knew you wouldn't be bold enough to try somethin' right in his hospital room." He added with a frown.

"Dad!"

"Don't use that outraged tone with me young lady. I was young myself once and I know how hard it is to be with someone you love and not be able to show them the way you want." He continued.

"Dad!" She repeated because she was unprepared for his frankness.

"Don't Dad me again Annie because I'm goin' to start thinkin' that somethin' happened that you ain't tellin' me."

She was mortified that her own father would think that she wouldn't tell him the truth, but she was just as embarrassed that she'd not used her good sense when it came to being so close to Danny. Dad was right about that.

"Should I ask if anythin' happened while we were in Tennessee?" He seemed almost afraid to ask but as her father, he may have felt the need to know.

Ann put her head back down on her father's shoulder and she felt his arm settle around her shoulders in comfort. "We kissed but nothing else happened. We also talked a lot because we knew that we'd crossed a line that we shouldn't have and we were trying to figure out how to back away without feeling as though we couldn't be alone together."

"Have you figured it out?" His voice gentled and she felt his hand pat her arm in reassurance. "Can you be alone together without things gettin' out of hand?"

She nodded. "When we found ourselves alone a few times during the last couple of days, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement between us that we would keep things under control. And we did."

"Now there's the sensible young woman I know my daughter is." He sighed. "The plain truth is that I ain't quite ready for you to be grown-up yet and it's goin' to take me some time to get used to it. Especially when you've got a young man in your life that means so much to you."

"I love him Dad."

She felt him nod. "I know you do honey and it's goin' to take me some time to get used to that too. You ain't my little Annie anymore and that's a fact I can't ignore."

She nodded in response and then sighed. "That scares me sometimes. I'm so used to living here with you and Mama, Shelby and Tom and it never used to occur to me that there would come a time that I wouldn't live here anymore."

"You're growin' up and gettin' your first lessons on what that is. When Rafe and I were your and Danny's age, we were already away from Tennessee and learnin' to fly at Mitchell. We didn't know it at the time but we were gettin' ready to meet your mama and Evelyn and fight in a war. We had to grow up faster than we should have, but that's how it was in those days. That's why it was important to Mama and I that you have the time to be a youngster and do all the carefree things that we didn't have time to do."

"Danny didn't have that time."

"That's true, but it was also his choice. He didn't have much time to do the goofy things that kids do and I always felt bad about that, but it got him where he wanted to be."

"And I'm not so sure that it's what he wants anymore." She mused.

"He _was_ workin' awfully hard over Thanksgivin'. But Rafe says that's how Tom is when he's got somethin' on his mind. He works his body, so he can work his mind and wrestle with whatever the problem is. If Danny's tryin' to decide if he's goin' to stay in the Air Force or not, that was probably his way of dealin' with his decision."

Ann sat up again and looked at her father. "Do you think he's made the decision to leave?"

Dad shook his head. "I didn't say that. I just said that he might have been wrestlin' with the problem. Whether he's decided to leave that's anyone's guess because he ain't said anythin' to Rafe or his mama, or you I'd wager."

"He hasn't said much of anything to me since we got back. I've been trying to catch up on my classes and he's been busy as a flight instructor."

"Is he still takin' you to the squadron Christmas party? It's next weekend, isn't it?"

"As far as I know he is because Mama's promised me that she'll take me shopping for a formal."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why do you need a formal? You've got a perfectly good formal from your senior prom hangin' in your closet that you've only worn once, just wear that."

"Dad, his squadron party is only going to be at the swankiest hotel on the island and my high school formal just won't do." She explained to him and was more than a little annoyed that he didn't seem to understand.

"And I suppose tellin' you no won't make a difference."

"It was Mama's idea so you'll have to tell _her_ no. And I don't think you've ever told her no to anything." Ann challenged him.

"Well, you do have a point there. I've never refused your mama anythin' and if this means so much to her than I guess you're gettin' a new formal." He sighed in resignation and took his arm from around her shoulders before he stood up. "I suppose that there are goin' to be rooms available to the squad?"

"Yes." She answered hesitantly knowing where he was going.

"I ain't in the position to tell you that you can't go, but I _would_ remind you that there ain't any reason for the two of you to make use of one of those rooms."

_That was fair. _

"We won't." She tried to reassure him. "We've been tying ourselves into knots over things that _could_ have happened but didn't, so we're not about to see anything through and make things worse."

"I appreciate that honey. I also appreciate the fact that you've been so honest with me. You ain't obligated to tell me _anythin'_ but I'm glad you do." He said as he headed for the front door.

Ann shrugged her shoulders. "We've always been that way. We've always talked things through and seen things through together as a family."

"And one of these days our family could be expandin'."

She felt her face flush and smiled self-consciously. "I wouldn't worry about that just yet Dad. Things are so up in the air for both of us that it's the last thing either of us is thinking about."

"Whatever you say honey." His smile seemed to be a knowing one as he walked into the house and left her alone to ponder what it meant.


	51. Silver Bells

"I don't know why I let you talk me into this. There is a perfectly nice tree at my parent's house, why do _I_ need one?" Danny asked Ann as she strung lights around the Douglas Fir that stood in the corner of his living room.

"Because this is your home, such as it is, it's Christmas and you should have a tree that's why." She answered as she continued to wrap the tree in the multi-colored bulbs. "Besides, it gives us an excuse to get Hank and Evelyn together in the same room."

"I knew there had to be an ulterior motive to this." He shook his head but to his credit, he _was_ smiling. "Annie you can't keep pushing them together the way you have; they need to figure things out for themselves."

"Says the guy who's been trying to persuade a certain Lieutenant Henry Metcalf to ask one Evelyn Ahern to the squadron Christmas party this weekend." Ann reminded him and he had the grace to look embarrassed. "Has he done it yet?"

"He hasn't said anything to me." Danny admitted to her. "Is inviting them to this little tree trimming party a plan to find out if he asked?"

"And maybe giving him the opportunity if he hasn't." She said to him as she pushed the plug into the light socket to see if the bulbs would light and breathed a mental sigh of relief when they did. "Now if they would both get here we could put the ornaments on the tree."

"Why don't you have a cup of cider while we wait?" He put an arm around her shoulders as they stood in front of the tree and he kissed her cheek. "You did a nice job with the lights Miss Ann."

"Thank you." She smiled at him. "Mama always asked me to do it when Dad wasn't home. She said that I did as good a job as he did."

"That's high praise because your tree always looks really nice every year." Danny commented.

"I'll tell Dad you said so." She laughed. "He takes a lot of care into putting the lights on. He leaves the decorating of it up to Mama and she always lets Shelby, Tom and I put up the ornaments but she puts on the tinsel."

"Why?"

"She says that it looks too clumpy when we do it. So we each have our part in decorating the tree and that's why it looks so nice." She explained as she heard a knock at Danny's front door. "It sounds like you've got company."

"It sounds like _we_ have company. Remember that this is your bright idea." He grinned at her as he walked to the door.

"So noted Lieutenant." Ann smiled back and waited to see who was on the other side. It was Hank and he looked a little tense.

"Come on in." Danny invited his friend inside. "Evelyn's not here yet so you can relax."

"What is it Hank?" Ann was concerned because it looked as though he had something on his mind as he stepped into Danny's quarters.

"I'm an idiot, for one." He frowned.

"You're going to need to explain that." Danny had a sudden look of concern on his face.

Hank walked to the sofa, sat down and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked frustrated and upset and Ann couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with Evelyn. "Well Dan, you haven't exactly been Mr. Subtle when it's come to getting me to ask Evelyn to the Christmas party."

_She was right._

"She said no." He looked disappointed himself as he sat down next to his friend. "I'm sorry."

Hank shook his head. "She didn't turn me down. She said that she'd think about it but now she probably _will_ say no."

"I'm sorry Hank, I don't understand." Danny looked at his friend in confusion. "Why would she turn you down?"

He sighed again. "Because after I asked her I thought that I would give her an added incentive to think about it and I tried to kiss her but she stopped me cold."

"Did she say why?" Ann asked. "There could have been a perfectly reasonable explanation."

"Yeah, like she doesn't want me that close!" He barked at her. "With her it's two steps forward and about a hundred steps back. I'm starting to think that she's not worth all of this grief."

"If she weren't worth all of the grief, you wouldn't be tying yourself up in knots over her." Danny said reasonably. "You also know that she isn't doing this on purpose."

"I know she isn't."

"Hank, when you made the decision to pursue her you knew that it was going to be a challenge. _I _believe that she cares for you and it doesn't take much to see that when she's around you. So just be patient and keep letting her know that you aren't going anywhere." He advised.

Hank glanced at Ann and then at Danny. "I think I'm in love with her and it's making this even harder."

Danny smiled at him then and clapped him on the shoulder. "Those are words I never thought I'd hear you say."

"Well they don't mean much if she doesn't feel the same, now does it?" His friend's happiness seemed to irritate Hank. "I've been through unrequited love before and I don't want to go through it again."

"I don't think it's unrequited." Ann stepped in. "If Evelyn weren't the least bit interested in you she wouldn't give you the time of day and I'm not telling you something that you don't already know. I think Danny is right and you just have to let her know that you aren't going anywhere. Maybe you could give her flowers once in awhile. Stop by her desk to say hello just to let her know that you want to be around her for no other reason that you enjoy her company, which I know you do."

"Flowers?"

"I know she would appreciate it." Ann smiled at him as she warmed to the idea. "Don't send roses, of course because those aren't the right flowers to give her just yet. Send her some carnations, or daffodils."

"You want me to give her daffodils?" He looked confused.

"Go talk to a florist and tell them who they're for and they'll suggest the right ones." She persisted. "You'd be surprised what flowers will do for a girl."

She smiled at Danny and knew that he understood why; she still had the roses he'd left for her before he was shot down.

"Are you sure about this?" He seemed skeptical.

"She needs to know you're serious about her." Danny seemed to be trying to reinforce what Ann was saying. "She needs to understand that you don't always play the fool and aren't going through life just looking for a good time. She needs to know that you're a solid guy that she can depend on."

"She _can_ depend on me!" Ann thought at first that he was being defensive but realized that Danny's observation hurt him.

"Then you need to show her." She commented gently. "Instead of sparring with her all the time, you need to show her that you can be romantic. Show her that under that lighthearted exterior there's a man who isn't afraid to show his feelings a little. Evelyn needs to know that you're the kind of guy that she can talk to, to share her hopes and her dreams _and_ her troubles. She needs to know that you aren't going to crack a joke when she needs someone to listen."

He sighed again and Ann believed that they'd gotten through to him. "Have I really been that bad?"

"You don't do it _all _the time." Danny said to him. "I've seen the two of you talk when you aren't trying to be cute and she seems to enjoy it. If you just start doing more of that she might actually start seeing you the way you _want_ her to see you."

There was another knock at the door and Danny looked at Hank before he walked over to answer it. "Now's your chance to show her."

Ann grabbed his arm so he would stand up. "Help me start decorating so she won't figure out that we've been talking about her."

He followed her lead and picked up an ornament just as Danny opened the door. "Evelyn, please come in. Annie and Hank decided that they couldn't wait, so they got a head start on us."

"You're decorating without Christmas music." She remarked as Danny closed the door behind her. "I find it so hard to get into the Christmas mood without it. Of course, it's a little hard to get into the season _here_ because there isn't any snow."

Without realizing it, Evelyn gave her an opening and Ann took it. "Well then, why don't you take my place and while Danny finds some music, I'll get some cider for us. That'll get us into the spirit."

"What can you do about this balmy weather?" She laughed and Ann saw Hank's ears turn red and he was trying to hide a smile.

_He had it bad all right. _

"There isn't anything I can do about that. You'll have to go back to Chicago for snow." Ann replied with a smile that Hank couldn't show, or wouldn't.

He finally turned around and when she saw him Evelyn's face flushed. "I have two weeks off for Christmas and was supposed to fly home late Friday morning but Henry told me that your squadron is having a Christmas party and asked if I'd go with him." She smiled at Hank. "I just called my folks to let them know I'll be flying out Saturday afternoon instead because if your offer of a squadron Christmas party Friday evening is still open, I'll go with you."

It wasn't the answer that he was expecting and it showed on his face. He also seemed to lose his power to speak because he didn't answer and Evelyn's smile began to fade.

"That is unless you've changed your mind." Her voice became a little breathy and it seemed as though she was bracing herself for him to tell her that he'd had a change of heart. "I would understand completely."

Ann got the feeling that Evelyn was trying to telegraph an apology to Hank for rebuffing his attempt to kiss her without actually saying it in front of her and Danny.

He stood in front of the tree with an ornament still in his hand and Ann could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out if she had just accepted his invitation. But Evelyn was beginning to look very uncomfortable and she tried not to smile as an amused Danny stood behind Evelyn and did just that.

"Hank, you need let her know that you heard her."

She coaxed him to answer and then something seemed to snap back into place because he smiled and it lit up his whole face. "The dance starts at eight o'clock but there's going to be dinner and cocktails at six. Can you be ready to go by five thirty?"

Her face flushed again as she smiled back. "I'll be ready."

"I don't know if I made it clear that it's a formal dance, so if you'd rather not go I'd understand." He was trying to give her a chance to back out even though she'd accepted and Ann wanted to roll her eyes in frustration. She glanced at Danny and he was trying not to laugh.

_That_ certainly wasn't going to help things.

"And miss a chance at seeing you in full dress uniform?" Evelyn's tone was light but Ann suspected that she was telling Hank exactly what she thought. "It just means that I'll have to do some shopping between now and Friday but I'll still go with you."

"Great." He told her with a smile on his face that widened, as it seemed to sink in that Evelyn Ahern just agreed to go out on a date with him. A real honest to goodness _date_.

Her face flushed even more. "Well, this tree isn't going to decorate itself Henry. So while Dan and Ann find some Christmas music and get some cider to set the holiday mood, you can help me get some of those ornaments on the tree."

"Sure." He nodded his head as he handed Evelyn the ornament he'd been holding and picked up another from the carefully packed box that Danny's mother had given him.

While their two friends bantered back and forth as they began the task of trimming the tree, Danny found a Bing Crosby album and put it on the stereo. _White Christmas _began to play and Ann saw Evelyn smile. "Now _that's_ the song to get into the Christmas spirit with."

Ann in the meantime stood at the stove and filled four cups with hot cider and the irony wasn't lost on her. It was going to be another typically balmy Christmas and her family and Danny's would be home to celebrate that year. Mrs. McCawley's parents were planning on coming out because Mr. Johnson decided that he wanted to experience at least one Christmas where he wouldn't have to shovel snow.

There had also been some discussion about getting Tom and Sarah McCawley to come back and James and Margaret O'Connell as well. Thanksgiving had been such a wonderful day with Ann and Danny's grandparent's there and as Grandpa O'Connell commented at the time, none of them were getting any younger. It had taken too many years for all of them to get together in one place and have the chance to meet each other instead of just _hearing_ about each other from their mutual grandchildren.

"Where are you Miss Ann?" She heard Danny's voice close to her ear and when she turned to look at him he was smiling at her and holding a sprig of mistletoe in between his fingers. "Do you know what this is?"

"It looks like tree fungus." She commented and tried to keep a straight face. "I hope you wash your hands after you throw that away."

"Didn't you just get done telling Hank that he needs to be more romantic?" He leaned closer and Ann could feel her own face flush. Danny had been so cautious when they'd been together of late that his unabashed display of what he wanted surprised her. "Well, that's what I'm trying to do."

She couldn't give him the satisfaction just yet and managed to maintain her straight face. "By holding a piece of fungus over my head?"

He smiled as he moved in closer so that his body just touched hers. "This isn't just any old tree fungus, you know. It's magical."

"How do you figure that?" She raised an eyebrow in feigned skepticism.

"Because if I do this." He lifted the mistletoe over their heads and his voice became low and husky. "I get to do this." And he kissed her.

He hadn't kissed her since they'd come back from Tennessee and Ann suspected it was the reason that he'd let her talk him into putting a tree in his quarters. He probably thought that he'd have her to himself for an evening and she knew that was the one thing that couldn't happen.

His lips were warm and tasted of the cider he'd had earlier. They were soft and persuasive as she felt his arms move around her waist and pull her close. She felt one of his hands caress her and even as she kissed him back, desperately wanting to follow his lead she knew that she couldn't. They had the relative privacy of a dark kitchen but they also had two people out in the living room waiting for them.

"Danny?"

"Mm-hmm?" He answered as his lips trailed down her neck and her heart beat double time.

"As much as I'd like to continue this, we're not alone." She reminded him quietly even though there was nothing more that she wanted to do than to go on.

His lips stilled and he sighed as he pulled away enough to look at her. "You had to remind me of that, didn't you?"

"If I didn't, we would have embarrassed ourselves one way or another." She tried not to laugh at the barely concealed frustration that she saw in his eyes. "And it's a good bet that we've probably embarrassed _them_ by being in here for so long. So if you would take some cider out to your guests, I'll be right behind you with some for us."

He picked up two of the cups that steamed with the hot cider and he smiled at her. "We're not done yet. Once they leave I get a _real_ kiss."

Ann felt her cheeks warm again and she smiled back. "We'll see about that."

"I love a challenge." His smile turned into a grin as he headed out to the living room leaving her behind to revel in the idea before she picked up the other two mugs and followed him.


	52. Reflection

He was barely home a week and Hank Metcalf had been a busy guy. There was something on his mind and Danny was worried because he wasn't doing much talking.

He thought it might have been because his friend wanted to ask Evelyn to the squadron party but she had accepted in his quarters the evening before, so it couldn't be that. It had to be the damn bad luck the squadron suffered on their last mission when two of their friends and fellow pilots were shot down. Neither of them survived and only one of the guys were recoverable.

Hank told him about one of the pilots and how he was off his right wing one moment and the next he wasn't. It was a hell of a shock to see and as Hank relayed to him, reinforced once again that they were at war and what they were doing were no longer training exercises.

Danny knew the death of the second pilot had been particularly hard for him to take because they'd become friends after they met each other at Wheeler. Mike Scott had been a couple of years older than Danny and Hank and was regular Air Force. He enlisted right out of high school and after basic training been accepted into flight school.

He married his high school sweetheart and they'd had a child. Their little girl couldn't have been more than two and after Mike was killed scuttlebutt around the base was that before he left for Okinawa he and his wife found out that they were going to have another baby.

It was difficult enough to lose two pilots but when one of them was a family man it made it even more so.

As for Danny, he was finally off of his crutches, for good. There was still no timetable for getting back in the air and he'd resigned himself to the idea that it was out of his hands. His leg had made a complete recovery and he continued with his rehabilitation as his doctor wanted but wouldn't release him just yet.

He and Hank began to run again on a daily basis but Danny needed to take it slow. He didn't have any strength in his legs and his stamina was non-existent. He was starting from square one but the impatience he felt after he'd come back from Tennessee was also non-existent. He'd accepted that it was going to take time to get back in the air and while the easy solution would have been to throw in the towel, Lieutenant Daniel McCawley made the decision to stick it out.

He was an Air Force Academy graduate and pilot and as tempting as the idea had been to trade it in for a quiet life in Tennessee, he'd worked too hard to get where he was and decided that he wasn't willing to give it up that easily.

Things with Ann were improving as well. They'd done a lot of talking at their grandparent's and made decisions about how their relationship needed to proceed if they were going to keep temptation at bay. He still didn't know why a tree was so important to her except that it would give her the opportunity to be alone with him and that was something that could have been dangerous. That's why he was more than happy to have Hank and Evelyn over to help decorate the tree Ann insisted that he get.

He didn't help things, however when he got some mistletoe with the plan to get her under it.

Danny had to admit to himself though that it wasn't something that he regretted. He hadn't given her a real kiss since they'd come back from Shelby and by choice, limited his contact with her afterward with a kiss on the cheek.

Those kisses had their own special quality because they still brought her in contact with him without the possibility of it leading anywhere. But the consequences of those chaste kisses left Danny more frustrated then he'd been before when he'd decided to do something with the aid of what Ann referred to as tree fungus.

He felt better than he had in months and remembering Ann's reference to the mistletoe made him smile.

"It's nice to see you smile McCawley." Hank's amused voice brought him up short. "It seems all I've seen on your sorry mug in the last few months is a frown. It's a wonder that your family could stand to be around you."

Danny shrugged because he knew that his friend was right. "The truth is, _I_ couldn't stand to be around me sometimes. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and what I had to deal with but when word came back that Mike and Phil were coming back in boxes that put things into perspective for me really quick. I came back alive and I don't think I fully appreciated that until after I heard about them."

"What makes the whole thing worse is that Christmas is two weeks away and Jeannie's packing up the house." Hank remarked with a sigh.

"You talked to her?"

"I talked to her and she's bound and determined to be off base and home with her parent's before Christmas. She told me that she and Mike never spent a Christmas on base after their daughter was born and she sure didn't want to start this year. She just wants to see Mike buried at Arlington and get herself settled back in Indiana with her parents."

"I thought for sure that she'd want him in South Bend." Danny was surprised at the decision of Mike's widow.

"I think she would have preferred it that way too but he made it clear to her that if something happened he wanted to be buried at Arlington. Mike told her that he wanted the opportunity to be with real American heroes." He explained.

Danny couldn't help but think that Mike's sacrifice had been pretty damn heroic but chose not to voice it. Instead, he thought he should change the subject before it became too maudlin. "Speaking of heroic, I thought that Evelyn was pretty heroic last night when she accepted your invitation. She sure took _you _by surprise."

"I still can't figure out why she did after all the months of putting me off." Hank seemed to wonder out loud and Danny saw his ears turn red.

"Did you ever stop to consider that she decided that she didn't _want_ to anymore? It seems to me that she'd been fighting a battle with herself the same way you've been doing. And it might just be that she finally admitted that she wanted to give you a chance."

"She might regret it." He sighed and Danny shook his head.

"The only way she's going to regret accepting is if you behave like an ass and I would sure as hell hope that you'd have more respect for her than that." He reminded his friend.

"I won't be an ass." Hank looked at him with a frown. "I've got too much riding on this. After she accepted my invitation and then we spent the evening with you and Ann decorating your tree I finally had to admit to myself what I've been trying to avoid and that's how I really feel about her. It didn't help things that you got Ann under the mistletoe in the kitchen and all I could think of was that I wanted to do the same with Ev."

"You have time Henry, Christmas is still two weeks away."

"Do you know that she's the only person outside of my family who calls me Henry? You do on occasion, but it's usually when you're trying to make a point. She's never called me Hank." He mused and Danny wondered if he didn't like it.

"Sure she has." He contradicted his friend. "When I was in the hospital she always came by to visit and on one of those visits, she kept calling you Hank and I don't think she realized it. _I_ just remember thinking how odd it sounded. Would you prefer it if she would?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I would like it if she started calling me Hank because that's what everyone _else_ calls me." And then he laughed at the apparent contradiction. "I guess as long as she acknowledges me I can live with that."

"I wonder if she has any idea of what she's getting herself into." Danny couldn't help but laugh and was relieved to see Hank smile.

"No more than I know what _I'm_ getting myself into. Evelyn Ahern is a difficult woman to figure out sometimes."

"I'm sure she feels the same way about you my friend. But that's what dating someone is all about, figuring someone out and deciding if you like what you discover." He smiled and Hank laughed.

"You've only had two girlfriends and suddenly you're the big expert on dating."

"I'm not an expert." Danny commented and tried not to sound defensive. "I'm just trying to give you the benefits of the mistakes I've made and what I've learned from them. I like you and Evelyn and I want you to be happy."

"I appreciate that. But just like you and Ann had to do, Ev and I will have to find our own way through this." He put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "You're a good friend and I know that you're only looking out for me but this is something that only _we_ can do."

"I know Hank, I guess it's just that with everything you've already been through with my sister and balking at doing anything about Evelyn I want to see this work for you."

"So do I, Dan." He nodded. "So what happened with you and Ann? You were keeping her at arm length for too long and it was making you pretty unhappy. What's changed that you decided to pursue her again?"

Danny never told Hank about his encounter with Ann when she helped him with his sponge bath and wasn't sure how much he should tell him now. "We got closer than we should have, again. It really scared the hell out of me and just seemed easier after that to keep my distance. But with Mike and Phil getting it the way they did, it put more than my own troubles into perspective. It put what was happening with Ann into perspective too and I knew that she needed to know that I still loved her."

"I don't think she's ever doubted that."

He shook his head. "She never said as much, but I think she did for awhile."

"And you almost left the Air Force, didn't you?" Hank mentioned casually and Danny was perplexed. They hadn't seen much of each other in the last couple of months because while he recuperated and then spent Thanksgiving in Tennessee, Hank was away flying missions. He'd missed their talks a lot and wondered how he'd figured it out.

"It was something that crossed my mind more than once." He confirmed his friend's question with a nod. "I honestly didn't think that I would have anything to worry about once I recovered. My plan was that I would get back in the air and get back to doing what I was trained to do. But because my leg was taking so long to heal and the longer that I was grounded because of that, I started to think that maybe it was happening for a reason. I couldn't help but think that maybe it was some kind of a sign that I wasn't meant to have a career as a military pilot. But it's like I said, at least I came home alive."

"You've thought about this a lot, haven't you?" The look on Hank's face was amazed.

"When we were back in Tennessee I was on my bad leg doing a lot more work than I should have done. The physical labor helped me think but it probably slowed down the healing too." Danny sighed. "I liked being back there because it's such a peaceful place and it gave me a lot of time to think. Of course _that _got me to thinking that maybe I was meant to be there and start a whole new career."

"Bring it all full circle." Hank finished.

"That never really crossed my mind." Danny shook his head in disagreement. "I just knew that I felt better physically than I had since I was shot down and I really started to think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life."

"So if Mike and Phil hadn't been killed you might have ended up being a farmer."

"I don't think so. It was a tempting idea and I gave it a lot of thought but it kept coming back to something I'd wanted to do ever since I could remember. And I'll admit that I was having a lot of doubts about getting back into a cockpit but it wasn't something that I could completely give up on." He tried to explain. "It's helped that the flight surgeon cleared me a couple of days ago for limited flight hours. I haven't been cleared to fly a jet just yet but he thinks that I have enough strength to fly the P-40 and it can help me readjust to flying again."

"Does Ann know any of this?" Hank asked him. "It seems to me that you should be telling _her_ this."

"She knows. We talked it all out while she was helping me pick out a Christmas tree." He smiled as he thought of the newly decorated tree that stood in the corner of his living room.

"How is she doing with school? She was having a hard time there for awhile."

"She's going to take the next term off. She talked to her parent's about the struggle she was having and how she wasn't enjoying school, so they told her she could take the next term off provided that she get a job." Danny tried to clarify the situation. "She's promised them that she'll finish out with passing grades and her dad told her that she could live on campus next year if she wanted to."

"Is she going to pass?"

"She hasn't talked to me about school in awhile, so I don't really know. But if her parent's didn't think that she would I don't think they'd let her go with me to the squadron party on Friday."

"It comes back around to that." Hank smiled and Danny wanted to laugh as his friend's ears began to turn red, which could only mean that he was thinking about Evelyn.

"Bringing it all full circle, as you said earlier." He did laugh then and Hank grinned. "So are you ready to take a walk with a gimpy friend?"

"I'll have you running by Christmas."

Danny wasn't ready for that and Hank knew it. "Get me to a slow jog and I'll consider it a success."

"I can do that." And he glanced down at Danny's pale legs. "You need to get some color on those legs Dan. If people around here didn't know you, they wouldn't have any idea that you were born and raised here. Those skinny, pale legs are an embarrassment to the United States Air Force."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious Hank." He laughed. "I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't told me."

Hank grinned back at him. "I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't tell you these things. So let's walk and if you feel like jogging a bit, we can do that too."

"Let's take it a step at a time Metcalf." He said as they headed down to the sandy beach.


	53. Hank and Evelyn

They'd disappeared without a word and he was starting to worry.

Hank was in rare form the evening of the squadron Christmas party because he did exactly what he promised Danny he wouldn't do. He behaved like an ass and Danny had never seen Evelyn so upset. She was aware of the squadron's loss and because of that, tried to be considerate of Hank. But even _her _infinite patience was stretched to the limit, as it always was when he acted like a jerk and she argued with him.

"They probably separated to go for a walk and cool off." Ann suggested as they stood in the lobby while he scanned the faces of the guests. "Evelyn was beside herself and she might have needed some time alone before she said something she couldn't take back."

"You could be right." He frowned and then he sighed. "I just don't understand why she doesn't tell him to take a hike."

Ann's laugh was soft as she tucked her arm through his and put her head on his shoulder. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Figured what out?" He asked as he glanced down at her amused face.

"It's very simple Lieutenant." She explained to him. "She's as much in love with him as he is with her and she won't admit it any more than _he_ will."

_Why do they have to complicate things so much? _He wondered to himself before he asked. "Why in the hell not?"

"From the moment they saw each other again last year they've been sparring over something but it was always safe because he was dating your sister." Ann told him. "Then after Sarah broke up with him that safety net was gone and they had to face some things that they didn't want to face, and _still_ don't for that matter."

"For a guy who seems to have it all together with the rest of his life, he's a wreck when it comes to Evelyn."

"It could be that he might be feeling a little guilty because of he what he feels for Evelyn and that he didn't feel it for Sarah." She mused.

"They haven't talked at all since she broke up with him, have they?" He asked, hoping that Ann would know because his sister wouldn't talk about Hank with _him_.

"She hasn't said as much to me but I don't think they have." Ann admitted. "The last time we really had the chance to talk she seemed to have a lot of questions about Evelyn. She wants him to be happy and seems to think that Evelyn is the girl to do it."

"I don't know about that Ann, they seem to get more like oil and water the more they're together." Danny didn't like to say it.

"I don't think so." She shook her head in disagreement. "I've never seen two people try harder to make others think that they don't care for each other. Now why would that be?"

"Maybe it's because they really don't and you're just hoping for something that isn't possible." He countered.

Ann shook her head again and was more vehement about it. "Danny, I've watched them since Evelyn was transferred here and it's definitely gotten more interesting since Sarah broke up with Hank. They always set sparks off each other because there's a current that passes between them whenever they're together and I happen to think that deep down it's something they really enjoy."

Danny didn't have the chance to reply when a very worried looking Evelyn rushed up to them asking for their help. Hank was in trouble and he needed them.

_He knew that he'd had too much to drink because Dan, Ann and Evelyn were watching him like a hawk all evening and it bothered him to all hell to see the disapproving look on Ev's face. _

_He'd wanted to tell her all evening how beautiful she looked but didn't know how and that bothered him even more. She didn't usually wear her hair loose, but she had that evening and he couldn't help but notice that it seemed to cascade down her back in dark waves. It was the first time that he'd ever wondered how it would feel if he got the opportunity to touch it._

_Her formal was modest by comparison to what some of the other women were wearing. Nevertheless the material still clung to her in places that drew his eye and he wondered if she'd deliberately chosen the champagne colored dress for that purpose. But it was Evelyn that he was nearly leering at and deep down he knew that she'd only chosen it because she thought it was pretty. _

_She was still keeping him at arm's length and on the one occasion that he'd tried to kiss her, she'd rebuffed him. He thought that they'd come to a point where she might let him get close, but it seemed as though he was wrong. Evelyn Ahern was more than an enigma to him; she was a conundrum. _

_She was able to persuade him to get a key for one of rooms that were set aside for members of the squadron and made sure that he'd gotten on the elevator and even went so far as to push the button for his floor. She stood in the lobby as the elevator doors closed and his stomach lurched as the car moved up toward his floor. The soft "ding" of a bell and the sudden stop of the elevator told him that he'd reached his destination and he stepped off. _

_He glanced at the room directory so he could figure out which way he needed to go and stumbled down the hall. He could feel a terrific headache beginning to develop and his stomach was beginning to revolt. It was his own damn fault for overindulging and he prayed that he would make it into his room before he humiliated himself and disgraced his uniform by losing his dinner in the hallway._

_802, 802, he repeated to himself and wondered where in the hell Room 802 was! He scanned the numbers on the doors, 780, 782. He held out his key in front of him and his dinner slowly began the ascent up his esophagus. 802, where in the hell are you?_

_798, 800, thank god he was almost there._

_802! _

_He stuck the key in the lock and turned it. He pushed on the door as he heard it unlatch and didn't even bother turning on a light, that was going to have to wait because his dinner no longer would._

_He should have known that she would come to check on him. Of course if he'd had the brain cells to think, he would have realized that in his haste to reach the bathroom he'd left the key in the front door and that was how Evelyn got into his room. If he'd been more aware of the situation, he would have been embarrassed beyond words that she found him on the bathroom floor like a drunken pilot; even though that's exactly what he was._

"_Henry, what am I going to do with you?" He heard the concern in her soft voice and was becoming sober enough to know that he wasn't worthy of it. _

"_Go away Ev; I don't deserve your sympathy. Hell, I don't even deserve you." _

"_I think that's up to me to decide, don't you?" He felt her hand brush through his hair and her warm lips on his forehead. It was the first time he could recall that she'd ever touched him, in any way. _

_He was vaguely aware that he was helped off the bathroom floor and knew that it couldn't be Evelyn, it had to be Dan. "If you and Ann would go downstairs to the hotel store and pick up whatever you think he'll need, I'll pour him into bed." He heard the calm baritone of his best friend just as he felt his stomach revolt again. "Go!"_

_He heard a rush of footsteps toward the door and then heard it close. _

_All he wanted to do now was lie down, and preferably not on the floor. _

_He heard the baritone again. "You sure know how to impress a girl."_

"_Go to hell." It was the only thing he could think to say._

_He heard Dan laugh softly as he felt himself being helped up from the floor. "I imagine that you'll feel like you have when you wake up in the morning."_

"_I'm such an idiot." _

"_I know, but Evelyn seems to care for you anyway. And you're still my best friend."_

_He felt the strong support of his friend at his side as he was helped into the room. He stood for what seemed hours before Dan sat him down on the bed and felt the cool sheets underneath his hands. He could feel himself fall backward onto the pillow and the tug of his shoes as Dan pulled them off. "Hank, don't go to sleep yet! Get your feet under the blankets so I can cover you up. Hank!"_

_He gathered ever ounce of strength that he had to assist and found himself covered up to his chin with a warm blanket and spread. He could feel lethargy overcome him and it carried him into a dreamless sleep._

_When he woke, it was with a start. He lay still trying to figure out if he were dreaming because he suddenly realized that he was in an unfamiliar room and a sleeping Evelyn was in bed next to him. He didn't know if he should be elated or shocked. _

_He was fully awake, his mouth was dry and he felt like hell. He also knew that he needed to clean up and take a shower if he were going to get back to sleep. It was a good thing that he was off duty for the next forty-eight hours otherwise it would have been a real challenge to make it to base by 0700._

_The moonlit room made it easy to navigate his way around and he found a pair of pajamas on the dresser. He also found a pair of boxers and a tee shirt folded on top. He picked up the pajamas and the boxers and as quietly as he could, found his way into the bathroom. He braced himself as he closed the door and turned on the light. _

_Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness he found a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush, a small bottle of mouthwash and a comb. He also found a small bottle of aspirin and silently thanked his friends for remembering something so important. He turned on the water to start his shower and before he stripped out of his uniform, took a couple of tablets and washed them down with a glass of water from the tap._

_He stepped into the shower and stood underneath the hard spray. The knot in his head began to uncoil and his body slowly relaxed. He washed his hair and scrubbed every inch of skin he could reach so that he could try and wash away what had happened. The evening hadn't exactly been one of the shining moments of his life and he would just as soon try to put it behind him._

_When he stepped out into the steamy room and into the new pair of pajamas twenty minutes later he felt better. He toweled his hair as dry as he could and ran a comb through it before he brushed his teeth and rinsed out the excesses of his overindulgence. He clicked off the light and his head pounded as his eyes readjusted to the dark._

_The sight of Evelyn's silhouette made him wish that there were another bed to sleep in because he would have taken that. But there wasn't and as quietly as he could slipped back in between the sheets. _

_He was warm and sleepy again but no sooner did he settle down than she curled up against him and her hand settled on his chest. It was as though she needed to reassure herself that he was there and all right. His body reacted, as he knew it had no right to but he didn't have the heart, or the will to turn her away. Besides, she was asleep and nothing could possibly happen. _

_At least that's what he told himself when she stirred and then felt the brush her lips against the underside of his jaw and he was stunned. "Ev."_

"_Do you know how much I love it when you call me that? No one else calls me Ev except for you." Her voice was thick with sleep but she seemed to be awake enough to know what she wanted. And it seemed that she wanted him._

"_Did you have anything to drink tonight?" He knew it was a ridiculous question even before he asked._

"_I had one glass of wine and you know that." Evelyn answered as he felt her hand on his cheek turning it so he would face her. He tried to look at her face but it was hidden in the shadows as she urged him closer and then kissed him. The shock that jolted through him from the feel of her closeness and her warmth left him momentarily paralyzed as he tried to process what was happening between them. _

_She seemed to take his lack of response as a challenge and while she continued to ply him with soft feather kisses, her hands found the buttons of his pajama top and began to undo them. "Evelyn what are you doing?"_

"_Please don't scold Henry; just kiss me." Her voice was breathy as she loosened the last button and began to caress his chest. It was then that he really felt like smiling since he returned from Okinawa._

"_Call me Hank and I'll do whatever you want." He laid down a challenge of his own because in all the years he'd known her she'd always called him Henry._

"_If I do that will you love me?" Her voice became a whisper and if he didn't know better he would swear that she'd just offered herself to him. But if he was going to love her in the way she asked of him she needed to know something first._

"_I do love you Ev; I love you so much that it scares the hell out of me. I love you so much that this wouldn't be enough to show you."_

"_But it would be a start because I love you too, Hank." _

_He sensed, more than he saw her smile and he kept his end of the deal when he kissed her and then he loved her._

_When sleep finally came, it didn't seem to last very long because as soon as they drifted off, one woke the other with a kiss and then they made love again. By the time the sun began to rise into the morning sky Evelyn had found her way out of her formal and into his pajama top. It looked a damn sight better on her. _

_He got to find out how her hair felt when he threaded his fingers through it during the night and it was softer than he ever imagined. But then he'd never allowed himself to think, let alone believe that she would ever be his. Or that she would accept him._

_He called for room service even though he wasn't sure his stomach could handle food, but he was hungry. He requested that the cart be left outside the room and then got up long enough to put the Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob. He wanted to be alone with Evelyn for as long as possible without any interruptions and with a noon check out, it would give them the whole morning. _

_When he walked back to the bed he saw her sitting back on her heels, her hair was tousled and she was flushed. When he reached the edge she boosted herself up onto her knees and skimmed a hand across his chest. "I never realized how beautiful you are."_

_He gently grasped her arms and leaned in to kiss her but just before he did he smiled at her. "I've always realized how beautiful _you _are."_

It was still early and the last thing he wanted to do was disturb his friend. He was probably going to have a hangover when he woke up and Danny wanted him to get as much sleep as possible, but Hank and Evelyn would need something to wear. He didn't imagine that either one of them would want to walk out of the hotel in the clothes they'd worn the night before and give people the wrong idea.

He had been unable to talk Evelyn out of leaving Hank alone to sleep it off. In the years he'd known him, Danny never saw Henry Metcalf drink himself into the state that he'd done the night before and he hoped it wasn't going to become a habit. It was probably that which worried Evelyn so much that she wanted to keep an eye on him to make sure that he would be all right.

He got off the elevator on the eighth floor and walked down to Hank's room. He noticed the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and there was a breakfast cart that was untouched. The extra key to the room was in his hand and he debated whether he should let himself in or not. He didn't want Hank to think that he was checking up on him but in all honesty, Danny just wanted to make sure that he was all right.

He hesitated opening the door and he wasn't sure why. Hank would most assuredly still be asleep and all Danny wanted to do was drop off a change of clothes. But if he was still asleep, why was there a full breakfast cart outside the door? It _could_ have been Evelyn who ordered the early meal. So why hadn't she taken it inside yet?

Something didn't feel right about the situation and he didn't have a concrete reason why until he knocked softly on the door and turned the key. He walked into the room and found Hank standing at the picture window in his pajama bottoms. And almost simultaneously while he wondered where Evelyn was, he saw a long pair of bare legs in front of Hank's and knew where his top was.

He was obviously trying to protect her from any embarrassment and Danny obliged. He put the clothes on the back of the desk chair and put the extra key on the desk. He tried not to smile and to keep the amusement out of his voice as he told them their breakfast was outside.

"Would you do me a favor and bring it in?" Hank asked him and Danny nodded before he walked out into the hall and rolled the cart into the room.

"I brought a change of clothes for the both of you and left them on the chair." He let Hank know. "Should I assume that you're going to stay here until check out?"

"That's our plan." He answered. "My car is down in the parking garage and I'll drive her home."

"All right." And he felt very much the third wheel. "Well, I'll bug out now and leave you two alone."

Hank glanced over his shoulder. "Thanks for everything you did for me last night. I can promise you that I won't do it again."

"I'm glad to hear that." He nodded as he opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving his two friends alone.

_They spent a leisurely morning eating their breakfast and when they were finished, sat together in bed to read the paper. But the closer that it came to check out, Evelyn left him alone to shower and get dressed. While she did that, he stacked the dishes on the breakfast cart and rolled it back out into the hallway. He made sure that the Do Not Disturb sign was still on the door before he padded back into the room. He looked at the bed that they'd shared during the night before he laid out his fresh clothes on it and he knew the trick from there on out would be building on the intimacy they'd established and learn to forge a relationship that he hoped might become permanent._

"_I'm sorry, but I don't think we time for that." Hank felt Evelyn's arms curl around his waist as she pressed herself against his back and wondered how long he'd been standing there. _

_Her obvious comment made him laugh and he turned around in her arms so she could see him as pulled her close. "Believe it or not I wasn't actually thinking about that, but now that you mention it."_

"_You need to go shower Henry." She smiled back at him and there was a look of contentment in her eyes he'd never seen before. _

"_I already did." He stated the obvious knowing that she wouldn't fall for it._

"_I know that, but you really should go take another one." She replied and her face flushed a pretty shade of pink. _

_He tipped her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. "You're not sorry about it, are you?"_

_Her arms tightened around him as she shook her head. "Of course not! I know that you were sober by then so you know that _I _was the one who started it."_

_She was right about that, but. "Why last night?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really have an answer. I didn't stay with you with a plan to do that and I know that you know that." Evelyn reacted to his preparing to protest and put a hand to his lips. "I stayed with you mostly because I was worried about you. In all the time that we've known each other you've never knowingly passed your limit." She sighed and seemed reluctant to say what she was thinking. _

"_I know about the pilots from your squadron that were lost during your last mission. Dan said that you were good friends with one of the boys that was killed and it didn't take me too long to figure out that he was one of the reasons that you chose to overindulge. And at the risk of sounding a little self-centered I figured that I was one of those reasons too."_

_He nodded, reluctantly. "The truth is, when I saw you in that dress last night with your hair down around your shoulders I saw this incredibly beautiful woman that I'd fallen in love with and didn't have the guts to tell her how I felt about her. I could see all the other guys looking at you too and I knew what some of them were thinking. And knowing what they were thinking, I wanted to punch out every one of them."_

"_So instead of punching them out, you got drunk." She raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned._

"_It seemed to be a better choice at the time." _

"_Well, I guess when it's all said and done it was." Her laugh was gentle and he felt goose bumps rise on his arms from the sound of it. "I was really upset with you for drinking so much but when I saw what you'd been reduced to because of it, I was just worried."_

"_I'm sorry Ev." He apologized and then kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry for worrying you and I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you. And I'm not just talking about last night. I've been a horse's behind ever since you came to Oahu and it's a wonder that we ended up here."_

"_We ended up here because I think that deep down I always knew that you would be the only man I would break my no serviceman rule for. I remember how we used to spar when you were at the Academy but that's just the way we were with each other then. After I got here though and we started it all up again, it felt different after awhile. But I didn't know if it was because of you or me."_

_He nodded in understanding. "It was because of me. The first time I got a reaction out of you when I never had before it got me to start seeing you differently. After that, it became something of a game to see if I could get you to react, and you usually did. But it was the first time that I made you blush and I hadn't really said anything that I knew things had changed."_

"_How did you feel about that?" _

"_I was confused because Sarah and I were still together and we were having problems. She wasn't talking to me, I was trying to patch things up and then I gradually found myself thinking about you, a lot." He admitted. "She was the one who saw that things were developing between us and had the courage to call me on it."_

"_She sounds like a very nice girl, Henry." Her sincerity got him to smile and hug her to him for a moment. _

"_She is and you're calling me Henry." He teased her._

"_Would you mind terribly if I kept calling you that? You just don't look like a Hank to me and I think that's one of the reasons I never got in the habit."_

"_No one calls me Henry except for you. Dan does on occasion but you're the only one who uses my given name regularly. And no, I wouldn't mind." He assured her. "I like the way it sounds coming from you."_

_She smiled at him and then let him go. "Well, since we seem to have that settled why don't you go take your shower? We don't have much time before we have to leave."_

_She wasn't going to get away from him that easily just yet. "You could always join me."_

_As he figured it would, her face flamed red but her smile grew. "It would serve you right to say I would just to see the look on your face. But sadly, I have to decline because if I did join you we'd miss our checkout."_

_He tried another tack. "We could always book the room for another night."_

_The color in her face deepened and her eyes seem to sparkle with mischief. "And start carping at each other within the hour?"_

"_Carping wasn't exactly what I had in mind Evelyn." He tried leering at her but it only made her laugh and she leaned up to kiss him._

"_I know, so go take your shower Henry. We have to be out of here by noon." _

The two people that he never thought would be together were finally together.

It never crossed Danny's mind that when he left Evelyn in the room with a sleeping Hank that they would end up making love. He knew it hadn't crossed hers either because her only concern was that he would wake up in a strange room by himself. She thought that it would be a little less disorienting if there were someone familiar there with him.

But something had obviously changed during those hours and while he knew it was none of his business, he was curious to all hell to know what happened that led up to it.

"You've been awfully quiet all morning." Ann commented as they took a walk on the beach. He held her hand in his and hoped that she wouldn't ask too many questions about his stop at Hank's hotel room. "What aren't you telling me?"

"What wouldn't I be telling you? That my best friend made an absolute fool of himself last night?" He glanced at her.

"I've never seen him get into such a state and I know how worried Evelyn was about him." She frowned at his seeming lack of concern.

"Everything is fine Ann. She stayed with him to make sure he would be okay and he's as right as rain this morning." He squeezed her hand and tried to reassure her.

"How can that be? As much as he drank last night I would have thought that he'd have a pretty bad hangover this morning."

_She was being persistent. _

He didn't like being evasive but he didn't know how she would react to the news or if it was even his place to tell her. "Don't you remember that one of the items that you and Evelyn brought back was a bottle of aspirin? If he had any brains at all, he would have gotten himself out of bed and taken a couple."

"How did he look when you stopped by to check on him?"

"I didn't get a good look because he had his back to me." He was telling her the truth, he just wasn't telling her the _whole_ truth.

"It must have been a long night for Evelyn." Ann commented and Danny knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep it from her much longer without lying to her.

"Evelyn's fine and Hank will be driving her home."

She stopped him suddenly with a tug on his hand. "Daniel McCawley, what aren't you telling me? Whenever there's something you don't want me to know, you refuse to look me in the eye. And ever since you came to get me after breakfast to go for a walk, you haven't looked at me. You're being deliberately vague about what happened this morning and I want to know what it is that you're not saying."

He was going to have to tell her and didn't know where to begin.

"Something happened last night, didn't it? And that's why you can't tell me."

Maybe he wouldn't have to say anything after all. "Let it go Ann_."_

A light flush began to creep across her face and her eyes widened as the realization seemed to dawn on her. She didn't say anything to him but he knew that she'd figured it out.

He grasped her hand and began to walk again. "Are you all right with this?"

"Are _they_ all right? They've been so scared to let the other know how they feel and then they find themselves in a situation that they _have_ to face those feelings." She sighed.

Danny smiled and then leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Leave it to you to worry about _them."_

Ann shrugged her shoulders. "They took a really big step last night and it's going to change things between them. I think about _us_ and how difficult it was to be around each other for awhile when we nearly took that step ourselves."

"But they aren't _us_. I don't believe that they planned what happened last night but they did go through with something that we made a choice not to. I think the only question now is how long it's going to be before he proposes." He told her.

"He wouldn't propose to her just because of _that_ would he?" Ann seemed disappointed at the idea.

"No. I think he'll propose to her because he loves her and I don't think they would have been together last night if they hadn't made it clear to each other how they feel. Hank acts the clown a lot, I know but he's a stand up guy and he would never have been with her just for something physical. And Evelyn isn't the kind of girl to do that sort of thing either."

"Do you think she would accept?" The worried frown was replaced by a smile.

"Evelyn's the only one who knows the answer to that. But if she loves him as much as you seem to think she does, she would." He let go of her hand long enough to put an arm around her shoulders and hold her close as they continued to walk. "But I don't think that they'll be jumping into marriage because of this so I wouldn't be expecting a wedding invitation any time soon."

"So I shouldn't haunt my mailbox then?" She laughed and he smiled back at her.

"You won't need to because they'll tell us something when they're ready and _only_ when they're ready."


	54. Fallout

"You aren't really going to take it, are you?" Ann was stunned at her friend's announcement. "That would mean you would have to leave here; you would leave Oahu."

Sarah smiled at her as they walked down the beach along the water's edge. "I haven't said yes, exactly. I don't like the idea of leaving home but the Air Force has offered me a great opportunity to work at a base stateside. It would mean more money and more responsibility and it's a challenge I feel that I'm up to."

She didn't want to ask but couldn't help but wonder if Hank's budding relationship with Evelyn was influencing her friend's decision. Sarah seemed to sense her question because Ann never got the chance to ask. "This doesn't have anything to do with them. You seem to forget that _I_ broke things off and as it turns out my suspicions were correct. Annie, this could be the job of a lifetime and I don't think that I should pass it up. Dad and Mama are all for it and Danny and Joe have given me their okay too." She laughed. "It seems that the only person I need to convince is _you_."

"Have you told Hank about it?" It was habit she knew, but Ann could have kicked herself for the question. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Sarah put a hand on her arm. "I haven't told him because it isn't his concern anymore. Besides, if I told him _he_ might think I'm taking the job so that I won't have to see him with Evelyn."

"He asks about you and wonders how you are." Ann told her. "He still cares Sarah."

She looked a little uncomfortable as she nodded. "I know he does and I know he asks about me but he needs to stop doing that."

"Then you should tell him because I don't think that he'd listen to anyone else but you. I know that you haven't talked to him since you broke up with him but maybe it's time you did." Ann urged.

"I don't think so Annie." She shook her head firmly in the negative. "I said what I needed to say at the time and even though he didn't want to admit it, he knew that I was right. One of the reasons I took the job at Hickam and got an apartment off base was to put distance between us. It's really helped because I hardly ever see him and it's made it much easier to let go of what I felt for him. That was the hard part for me and it's time for him to let go of any kind of feeling for me if his relationship with Evelyn is going to work.

Sarah stopped for a moment and looked at Ann. "She's a nice girl and seems to care for him a lot. She deserves to have all of his attention and all of his feelings which means that there can't be any room for regret or guilt over what he should or shouldn't have done about _us_."

"So is it true that you're going to take the job at Travis?" Hank's voice seemed to come out of nowhere and startled the daylights out of Ann.

Sarah however kept her composure and when they turned around she saw Hank standing next to an exhausted Danny who looked as though he'd just run the Boston Marathon, and come in last place.

She stood her ground and faced her annoyed ex-beau. "I don't want to be mean about this but it's really none of your business where I choose to work. Whether I'm here or in California it's my decision and if my family doesn't have a problem with it then that's all that matters."

"Why does it have to be California?" He wanted to know.

"Why _not_ California if that's where the job offer is?" She sighed. "Hank, I've only ever lived here and in Tennessee with my family. I've never had the chance to really live on my own like Danny was able to in Colorado and I'm thinking it's time that I did."

"This is because of me isn't it, because of what's been happening with Evelyn?" His frown got deeper and Ann looked at Danny who shrugged his shoulders. He didn't seem to have a clue as to what was going on inside Hank's head any more than she did.

Sarah however looked more than a little irritated at his comment but to her credit she remained calm. "As hard as this might be for you to understand Henry Metcalf, not everything I do is about _you_. The decisions that I've made since I broke things off have been in _my_ best interest and not because I'm trying to get back at you or hurt you.

"From what I can tell, Evelyn seems to be a really sweet girl and it's not fair to her if you insist on worrying about me and keeping tabs on me because that's a part of you that isn't hers. She looks like a girl that you're pretty serious about and she needs to come first in _all_ things."

Hank put his hands on his hips in frustration. "Ev knows how important you were to me and she understands."

"Well then, she's a bigger woman than I am because _I_ certainly wouldn't understand. Nothing damages a new relationship worse than old ghosts do and as long as you insist on making me a part of your life, even in the smallest way it's going to damage yours."

"So you _are_ leaving because of me."

Sarah seemed to sense that she was fighting a losing battle because no matter what she said, Hank was going to see it the way he wanted to. And it looked as if he were convinced _he_ was the real reason Sarah might leave.

"Hank, you need to back off." Danny interjected. "Sarah got this job offer before she knew anything about you and Evelyn and she's been thinking about it for awhile. _I_ want her to do it because I think living somewhere else other than here could be a great experience for her. She'll get to live in another part of the country and be close enough to come home more than I could.

"I also happen to think that she's right and that she's not your responsibility anymore. She's got Dad, Mama, Joe and me to do that for her and I'm sure we'll drive her crazy while she's gone." He grinned at his sister and she smiled back.

"It's not so simple for me and you know that." He looked at Sarah and seemed to plead for understanding. "No matter what you might think, you were never a casual thing with me. I didn't want to break things off but you didn't give me any choice and didn't give us a chance to work it out."

Her stance softened at Hank's obvious turmoil and she reached to grasp his hand. "Be honest and tell me that when I take your hand it feels the same way as when you take Evelyn's and tell me that you aren't happier with her then you were with me. Tell me that making love to her was." And he stopped her before she could complete her statement with a face as red as Ann had ever seen.

"But _we_ never did." And without realizing it he gave himself away and it was _Sarah's_ face that reddened in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't want you to know."

"I was only guessing about that." She pulled her hand away and Hank shoved his in his pockets. "It isn't any of my business anyway. But knowing that you've been closer to Evelyn than _we _ever were tells me that you're ready to make the full emotional commitment to her now. And in order to do that it means not worrying about an ex-girlfriend, no matter _how_ much you cared about her."

"So tell me what I'm supposed to do." His voice caught and Ann couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Care enough to let me go, completely and say goodbye." Her eyes began to tear but she blinked a few times to clear them. "I never gave you the chance that day and looking back on it, I wasn't being fair. But I knew what needed to be done and I was afraid that if I stayed I'd let you talk me out of it, nothing would have changed and we would have both continued to be unhappy. But I promise that I'll stay this time so you can say goodbye."

"What if I don't want to?" He asked and sounded as lost as he did the day Sarah broke up with him.

Her voice was soft and Ann suspected that she was trying not to cry. "You _have_ to because it isn't fair to the woman you love if you don't."

Her statement seemed to hit him like a broadside and he shook his head. "I'm a selfish bastard. You did the right thing because you knew me better than I ever suspected and you saw a situation that wasn't going to go away. My feelings for Evelyn would have kept developing even though I would have fought them and that would have put you in a position that you didn't deserve. You did the right thing and I just wish that I'd been half as brave as you to admit it."

She smiled at him and put her hand to his cheek. "You just did."

"Goodbye Sarah." He finally said and from the look on his face, he meant it.

"Goodbye Hank." Sarah answered him and couldn't seem to break the contact with him. Ann couldn't tell what she was thinking but Hank seemed to and he covered her hand with his that rested on his cheek.

"It's all right."

"You'll tell Evelyn?"

He shook his head. "I won't if you don't want me to."

She laughed and Hank looked confused. "I didn't mean it that way. What I meant is that you need to tell her because you can't keep secrets from her."

"I'll tell her." He promised and Sarah moved haltingly toward him.

"Thank you for caring for me so much, I'll always remember it." Her arms seemed to move hesitantly around his neck.

"Thank you for being so brave."

Danny caught her attention with a motion of his head to let her know they needed to leave Hank and his sister alone. She took the hand he held out to her and they walked away.

When they got far enough away Ann glanced behind her and saw Hank and Sarah, with their arms around each other. She couldn't ever remember seeing them in such a passionate embrace and couldn't help but think if they'd been more affectionate with each other, maybe things would have worked out.

But she immediately regretted the thought because as much as she cared about Sarah, Evelyn really was a better match for Hank and deep down she felt that Sarah always knew it.

"Come on Annie; give them a little privacy." Danny admonished her gently. "That's probably the first time they've really kissed each other and it's ironic because they're saying goodbye."

"Would it be terrible if I said that I have mixed feelings about this? I've known Sarah my whole life and I want her to be happy but I've never seen Hank happier than when he's with Evelyn." She sighed.

"It wouldn't be terrible because I feel the same way." His voice was reassuring as he let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders. "I love my sister, but we all knew that things weren't going well between her and Hank after awhile and I know it wasn't easy for her to end their relationship. But she's been much happier since then."

Ann put her head down on his shoulder. "Things weren't going well for us for awhile, but we managed to work through it."

His shoulder moved against her cheek when he laughed. "Our problem wasn't that we didn't care enough, it was that we cared too much."

She smiled at his observation and tried not to laugh. "When you put it that way, I can see the difference."

"But you're right about one thing though. We did manage to work through it because we know that what we have is worth holding on to and struggling to find a balance between what we _can_ do and what we _want_ to do."

Ann pondered that as they continued to walk. "You never did tell me if Evelyn made her flight all right yesterday."

"She did and with time to spare." He nodded in the affirmative. "Hank said it was really hard to let her go, but they'll be seeing each other when he gets home next weekend."

She straightened up and looked at him with curiosity. "I didn't know he lived in Chicago."

"He doesn't." Danny smiled. "He lives a few miles away in a place called Oak Park and I'm sure he's going to take advantage of that."

Ann couldn't help but laugh then. "He's known all this time that his family lived so close to hers and he never told her?"

"I don't think it ever occurred to him. Besides, if she'd known that sooner I don't know how happy she would have been about it."

"That's true." She had to admit.

"What's going through that head of yours Miss Ann?" Danny asked as he gently shook her shoulders.

"I was just thinking that things don't always work out the way we think they will." She began. "When you and Hank got here last year, he and Sarah were together and by all accounts seemed to be happy. You were still with _her_." She knew it was childish, but Ann just couldn't bring herself to name Danny's former girlfriend. "And I don't remember you being _un_happier. Now Hank is with someone else and _we're_ together."

"Some would say that it's the way it should have always been." He answered and without warning stopped and pulled her close to him. She was surprised by the passion in his unexpected kiss because he'd been so circumspect of late and while her instincts urged her to answer in kind to his persuasive caress, her conscience berated her as to what was at stake if she did.

It didn't stop her, however from putting her arms around his neck and kissing him back. It felt good to have him so close to her and to feel his strong hands roam her back. But when one of them wandered farther south than she knew it should have to pull her even closer to him, she knew that they had to stop.

But she didn't have the chance to say a word.

"You _should_ be aware that you're becoming floorshow entertainment." Hank's cheery voice startled Ann once again and she pulled away from Danny. His face was flushed and looked at her with a rueful grin.

"I'm sorry Annie; I can't seem to help that sometimes." He took her hand and she smiled back because she knew darn well that he _wasn't _sorry. "So if you're here without my sister, it would stand to reason that she's gone home."

"To your parent's actually." He answered with a barely concealed grin of his own. "And I feel better than I have in a long time."

"Me too." Danny's grin turned absolutely wicked and Ann felt her cheeks warm. "So I'm guessing that the two of you have settled everything and now you can move on."

"We did and I can." He sighed. "Your sister is really something. And it seems as though she's pretty much made up her mind to go to California."

"Sometimes I wonder if maybe she shouldn't get a civilian job and surround herself with guys who aren't in the service." Danny looked at his friend. "She took a step in the right direction when she got a place to live off base and I'm hoping she'll do the same if she goes to Travis. As for you, it seems as though you settled things with Evelyn."

It looked as though Hank was trying not to grin but he couldn't stop a happy smile. "We did things a little backward; I know but now that we know where we stand with each other we can start dating and begin to build on what we've started. I'll be able to see her for a whole week when I get home and meet her family. She'll be able to meet mine and that will be the end of that." He laughed at his own joke.

"You're kidding, I hope." Ann frowned.

"I love my grandparent's a lot, but they've never had much of a sense of humor. Maybe because of that, my parent's try not to be too serious and my brother's are a bunch of practical jokers. I'm considered the serious one and you know how serious _I _am." He finished. "It might just be a little too much for her."

"Have you told your parent's about her yet?" She asked him.

"They know Sarah and I broke up and that there's a new girl in the picture but they don't know about Evelyn specifically. I'm going to call them tonight to tell them about her and that I want them to meet her. They were always sorry they never got the chance to meet Sarah but she and I could never seem to arrange a trip for her to come back with me. But with Evelyn just a few miles away, it won't be a problem."

"It's the way it should have always been." Danny glanced at Ann with a grin before he looked at his best friend. "I know how much you cared for Sarah, but Evelyn was always the girl you were meant to be with."

"You really believe that." Hank looked skeptical.

"Of course I believe it because Annie was always the girl _I_ was meant to be with. She just had to grow up first." His grin widened because he knew she wouldn't be able to resist responding which of course, she did.

"Just for that you're not getting your Christmas present." She feigned indignation.

_He_ feigned surprise. "You got me a Christmas present?"

Ann refused to be drawn in. "I guess I should take that to mean you didn't get me one."

"You already have _me_, what more do you want?" He laughed and she could see how much he was enjoying their banter.

"I don't remember asking Santa Claus for a gimpy combat pilot." She answered and Hank laughed out loud.

"She got you there Dan."

"She's got me whether she wants me or not." And his eyes sparkled. "And I know how much she wants me."

"In your dreams Lieutenant." Ann shot back.

"You seem to forget that I _got_ you in my dreams." His voice was deliberately husky and she felt her face warm again, as he knew it would.

"All right you two; you're starting to make me blush here." Hank tried to sound serious and couldn't quite pull it off.

"Well, I wouldn't want to responsible for that so I think I'll head home and help Mama start dinner." She turned and started to head up the beach before Danny reached for her hand and stopped her.

"Not so fast Miss Ann, I'm not quite finished."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Not quite finished with what, baiting me?"

He pulled her back to him and he heard Hank sigh. "Well I can see that I'm not going to get you to finish your run."

"We'll finish it Hank. But I need to finish this first." Danny promised his former roommate as the expectant look in Ann's eyes mesmerized him and he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Oh brother." He heard Hank's stifled laugh and felt Ann's arms move not around his neck, as he fully expected that they would but around his waist. He also knew that if he let it happen, her hands would end up under his tee shirt and they really would become a floorshow for the entire crowded beach and his best friend to witness.

He pulled away just enough to look at her face and she was smiling at him. "And you think that I was trying to bait _you_? I nearly got an invitation."

Her face flushed and he felt her hands grasp his shirt. "If I were going to give you an invitation, you would have known it."

"Ann!" Danny heard the surprise in Hank's voice.

She glanced over Danny's shoulder at him and he saw her roll her eyes. "Henry Metcalf, stop acting like an outraged father. You know as well as Danny and I do that nothing is going to happen." And she glanced at Danny. "At least not in the middle of a crowded beach." She finished with a laugh before she let him go.

She was being a vixen and he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it.

He also knew that he wasn't helping things when he tweaked his friend with a laugh of his own and added. "And not in front of the Lieutenant."

"Touché." Hank seemed to relax because he grinned back. "All right, I'll put away my outraged father routine if Ann lets us finish our run."

Danny looked at Ann. "My ex-roommate is being charitable when he calls what we're doing running; I can still barely jog."

"Don't worry about it Dan, I'll get you back there. It's just going to take some time." He put a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Well, time _is_ the one thing that I have a lot of right now." He told then with a smile. "I've also been cleared to fly the P-40, so at least I can get back in the air. And if Annie trusts me, maybe she'll go up with me again."

"Just concentrate on getting your strength back and we'll talk later about my going back up with you." She said to him and kissed his cheek. "In the meantime, I really need to be going."

"That isn't much of a goodbye." He grinned at her and Ann smiled back.

"Goodbye Lieutenant." She answered before she turned away and walked up the beach toward home.

"You are a lucky guy, Dan." Hank commented behind him.

"Don't I know it. She's going to make a hell of an Air Force wife." He said without thinking and it took him a moment to realize what it was that he'd just said. He looked at Hank whose face held a look of shocked surprise. "Did I say what I thought I just said?"

"It wasn't exactly a declaration to propose, but it sounds like you're getting closer to the possibility of asking." He remarked.

Danny turned to his friend with a frown. "You don't think it's because I want her in my bed do you?"

Hank shook his head. "You know that there's more to it than just wanting to make love to her, it's about having her in your life on a permanent basis. You and Ann haven't hesitated to tell me how much happier I am with Evelyn and it's obvious to anyone who cares to look that Ann has the same effect on you. The fact is Dan; she's got you thinking about a lifetime with her and not a casual fling. If that were all you were after, you would have done something about it already."

Whether he realized it or not, Hank opened a door for Danny to ask about the unexpected turn of events at the squadron party. "So what about you and Evelyn? Neither of you are the type of people to have done what you did and not have it mean something."

"I teased her that when I got home we could have an encore." He grinned self-consciously and then grew serious. "We didn't plan what happened and I know you know that. Ev knows too that it wasn't a casual thing with me any more than it was with her."

"It's not something that you're going to start making a habit of, is it?" Danny couldn't help but ask.

Hank would have had every right to tell Danny that it was none of his damn business and he halfway expected his friend to say just that. But the defensiveness that he waited for didn't come and he was a little surprised.

"You know we won't, not that it's your business because that's not the kind of relationship I want with her anyway and she knows that. I want to spend time getting to know her better and not to get her into bed again but to figure out if what happened between us wasn't just a physical thing.

"It's going to sound corny, but I like the way her hand feels in mine and I like the way she laughs, _especially_ when she knows that she shouldn't. I like the way she calls me Henry, because no one else does and how it feels to have her in my arms. There is so much about her that I already know, but it feels too that I've barely scratched the surface."

_He's a man in love all right. _

"That was quite the soliloquy Henry." He grinned for a moment. "From where I'm standing I don't think that you need to concern yourself that what happened was only physical. I think what happened was in part because the both of you refused to admit, for far too long how much you loved each other. It was only after you put yourself in the position you did on Friday and worried Evelyn half to death that those feelings found their way to the surface.

"I can't help but think that you and she are in the kind of position that my parent's were in when they ended up here. They were away from home and from their families and while they never regretted it, did something they would never have done if they'd been at home."

The possible consequences of what they'd done suddenly seemed to dawn on Hank and his face lost some of its color. "Dan, your mother got pregnant."

He tried not to sigh because Danny wasn't thinking about that when he mentioned it, which he relayed to Hank. "I was just trying to point out that sometimes things happen a little backward but it doesn't mean that what you did is any less meaningful."

"But you're going to wait." He pointed out.

"Our situation is different than yours because our families are _here_." Danny tried not to be defensive and it irritated him that he sounded that way. "And my parent's are bound and determined that we won't do what _they_ did."

"They wouldn't have to know."

He shook his head. "If we went through with anything after we promised them that we wouldn't they would know. Annie and I are close to our parent's and we're always talking to them about what's going on in our lives. If we suddenly clammed up they would know that we were trying to hide something and it wouldn't take them too long to figure out what that was.

"The fallout of our making love, if we were foolish enough to go through with it would damage the relationship that we have with them and it would make us both liars. Not to mention that I would have Annie's father to deal with and he really _would_ an outraged father."

"So you'll marry her before anything happens." He summarized.

Danny sighed. "Which brings me back to my slip of the tongue about her being an Air Force wife."

"It wasn't a slip of the tongue Dan and you know that it's not about sex either." It was Hank's turn to offer advice. "The more we talk about this it sounds to me like you're ready to propose and not because you want her in your bed, as you said. Your lives have been such a part of the other since you were kids and your relationship with her seems to be a natural extension of that. Now it's time to extend that even farther."

"I don't know Hank." He could feel a knot form in the pit of his stomach and wasn't sure if it was because Hank was right or if he wasn't ready.

"What do you say that we start casing some jewelry stores before I go home?" He seemed to read Danny's thoughts. "If you can't find a ring you think Ann would like, then you're probably right about not being ready. But if you find the ring that was made only for her, then I say you buy it and think about presenting it to her as a Christmas present."

The knot started to harden. "That's a week away!"

"I didn't say you _had_ to give it to her, just consider it." Hank laughed and he didn't appreciate it. "If you aren't ready yet, at least you'll have the ring when you _do_ want to pop the question."

_It was all too much to comprehend. _"Marriage?"

"You said yourself that Ann was the girl you were always meant to be with." Danny was reminded of what he'd said earlier. "And I think it's time you consider what that really means. In the meantime, we're burning daylight and not getting much done to get you back in running shape. So let's get stretched out again and finish what we started."

Hank gave him a lot to think about and as he stretched his sore muscles to put them back to work, Danny knew that his wingman was right. Somewhere along the line, Ann had become an important and integral part of his life and it was getting harder to see the rest of his life without her in it.

The question was, if he asked her would she say yes?


	55. Life Begins Anew

Six weeks after Sarah talked to Ann about the opportunity the Air Force offered her in California, her family gathered at Honolulu International to see her off.

Ann knew it hadn't been an easy decision for her to make, but Sarah confessed that it was the right one. She wanted the chance to see what was beyond Oahu and the familiar, comforting presence of her family just a few miles away. She was excited and absolutely terrified at the same time because it would be the first time in her life that she would be truly on her own.

Hank wanted to be there to say goodbye as well, but Sarah told him that she would prefer he not because the idea of it made her uncomfortable. She told Ann that just because _he'd_ come to terms with the end of their relationship, he seemed to think that now they could be friends. But at the moment Sarah did not want to be friends with him and didn't know if she ever could be or even _wanted _to be. He'd been too close to her heart and now his heart belonged to someone else.

Ann was proud of her friend for standing firm on the matter and for not letting Hank talk her into something she didn't want to do. It was hard enough for Sarah to say good bye to her family and she didn't need the added complication of an old boyfriend being present.

The major had his arm around Sarah's shoulder and her mother kept hold of her hand as Danny and Joe tried to keep the imminent departure of their sister light because Major and Mrs. McCawley were having a difficult time of it.

"Now all we need is to get _you_ out of the house Joe. Then Dad and Mama will have the whole place to themselves." Danny grinned at his younger brother.

"Only if I can come live with you." Joe grinned back as he refused to take the bait. "I know how much you'd really like that."

"Your brother is staying put." Mrs. McCawley managed a watery smile. "I'm not ready to have all of my chicks out of the nest just yet."

"I like that Evelyn." Major McCawley was also able to smile but Ann couldn't help but notice that it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You always used to say how you wished we had more time alone. I say that if our oldest is willin' to take our youngest off our hands, we should let him."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Danny acted as though he was upset with the idea even though he smiled. "I kind of like living on my own."

"Well then son, you shouldn't make suggestions unless you're willin' to back them up." The major pointed out. "But I'm with your mama on this one because your brother will be leavin' the house in a couple of years when he graduates."

"Be careful there Joe, the clock just started ticking." Danny laughed.

"Don't I know it." He shook his head in mock worry. "Well, I could always go live with Sarah in California if I had to."

"Only if you pay me rent, kid." Sarah glanced at her older brother and gave him a smile of relief before she looked at her younger brother. "If you lived with me, it wouldn't be for free."

"It sounds to me like you just got an invitation to go to California." Danny clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Don't take this the wrong way little brother, but I don't need the extra baggage." Sarah laughed. "But maybe after I've settled in you can come back for a visit."

"Maybe spring break?" He looked at his parent's expectantly.

"More like this summer." Major McCawley shook his head. "You start your internship at _The_ _Advertiser _that week."

Joe frowned for a moment. "I forgot about that. Well, summer it is then."

"I'll make sure the sofa is lumpy, just the way you like it." She laughed again, but it was forced because the aircraft that was taking her to the mainland and away from her family came in for a landing. Ann watched as the major's arm tightened around Sarah's shoulders and he kept clearing his throat. Mrs. McCawley was losing the battle not to cry as the tears began to slide down her cheeks and she kept a hold of Sarah's hand.

Ann slipped an arm around Danny's waist as his arm came to rest around her shoulders and felt his cheek rest on her hair for a moment. She took Joe's hand with her free one and he gripped it tight.

"I remember a goodbye somethin' like this when you took your family back to Tennessee, Rafe." Dad commented wryly as the plane rolled to a stop and the engines began to shut down. "Sandra and I had just gotten married and you were mustered out of the Air Corps."

"But you came back to us not too many years later." Mama added gently. "Even if it isn't permanently, Sarah will come back to you soon too."

Mrs. McCawley smiled at Ann's mother as the tears fell freely. "You always know the right thing to say."

"I don't know what's harder, stayin' or leavin'." Major McCawley's voice sounded like gravel as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

"I think I'd say both." Dad put a hand on the major's shoulder. "But Sandra's right, Sarah will be comin' back soon for a visit and that's somethin' to look forward to."

He gave Dad a look that Ann thought was grateful. "You always know the right thing to say too."

"That's what friends are for."

The stairs were rolled across the tarmac out to the aircraft so that the arriving passengers could deplane. It would be awhile before the plane would be ready to leave because it needed to be refueled and meals loaded on board but as soon as the last passenger was off the plane, Sarah needed to get in line to board.

"You call us as soon as you get settled." Mrs. McCawley told her. "I know there's a three-hour time difference, but it doesn't matter."

"And take this." Major McCawley pressed some bills into her hand. "I don't want you worryin' that you can't buy somethin' if you need it."

"You don't need to do that." Sarah tried to give the money back and her father refused.

"When Danny went to the Academy, Mama and I did the same for him so please take it." He said to her. "It would ease our minds."

"Thank you Daddy." Sarah's eyes filled with tears as she put her arms around her father's neck and held him as though she never wanted to let him go. "Thank you for everything."

"If you change your mind and want to come home your room will be waitin'." He promised her as he held her close to his heart.

"I know." Her voice was barely audible as he kissed her cheek and Ann felt Danny begin to tense next to her as he held his own emotions in check. "I know."

He seemed reluctant to let her go, but time was running out and Sarah needed to board her flight. As soon as he let her go she was in her mother's arms and it was then that Sarah began to cry and Mrs. McCawley's unsteady voice tried to soothe her. "You're beginning a new adventure honey in a place you've never been before and I know you're scared. But you'll meet new people and make new friends and see a part of the country that your dad and I never had the chance to. So you'll have to tell us what California is like and what this new air base is like." She paused long enough to loosen her hold and look at her only daughter. "Dad and I and your brothers are very proud of you and the decision you made because you could have stayed at Hickam and been content. But you wanted a new challenge and it wasn't going to happen here, so you're going somewhere else to meet it."

"I love you Mama." Sarah tried to compose herself as her mother dried her eyes.

"I love you too honey." She answered and slowly let her go. "Call us when you get there."

"I will." She promised before she faced her older brother. "I don't think you know how happy I am that you got to come home for your first assignment. Four years was a long time for you to be away and I missed you."

"I missed you too Sarah and I'll miss you again." He cleared his throat. "Come home when you can, all right?"

"I will, I promise." She answered as Danny let go of Ann to put his arms around his sister and hold her. "It's going to feel strange not being able to drop over to your quarters to say hello."

"For me too." He replied. "Just don't stay away too long, will you?"

"I should be able to come home for Easter, so it won't be that long." She told him as they parted and she looked at her younger brother with a smile. "I can't help but remember you as my baby brother who was waiting for me and for Danny when Gramps and Grams brought us back from Tennessee. You ran out to the transport and scared Mama and Dad because they were afraid something would happen to you."

"I remember that I didn't like being by myself that year and it took me a long time getting used to living here. I was just so relieved to see you get off that transport." Joe grinned at her.

"And I'm sure you're just as relieved now to see me getting on that airplane." She teased.

"I'll carry your suitcase for you." He joked in return before he let go of Ann's hand and put his arms around Sarah. Neither said anything else as Joe let her go and she looked at Ann.

Ann didn't know what to say and Sarah didn't seem to either, so they hugged each other. "I'll miss you." She finally managed and Sarah nodded.

"Me too."

The gate was opened and one of the stewardesses was there to greet the passengers and check their tickets as they walked across the tarmac to the waiting plane. "We'll be taking off in a few minutes so please find your seats as soon as you can." She smiled.

"I guess I'm through stalling." Sarah joked.

"Have a safe trip honey." Mama hugged her.

"Thanks Mrs. Walker."

Dad hugged her too and Ann heard him laugh. "I'll never forget the day you were born. Your mama was as calm as anythin' when she knew it was time to have you but your daddy wasn't. But I figure that was because he couldn't be here when Danny was born so he didn't know what to expect."

Sarah smiled back. "I think that was one of the stories I heard more growing up and Mama always enjoyed telling it."

"She still does." Major McCawley laughed and put his arm around Mrs. McCawley, who in turn put her head on his shoulder.

"Well honey, I think it's time we let you go." Dad sighed. "You've got a plane to catch."

"Yes Sir." She gave Shelby and Tom a hug before she picked up her travel bag.

"It's going to be a long flight Sarah; do you have enough in your bag to keep you occupied?" Mrs. McCawley asked her.

"I have a couple of books, a lot of crossword puzzles and some knitting." She tried to reassure her mother. "Don't worry Mama, I won't get bored."

"Try to get up every hour or so to stretch your legs; it ain't good to sit for all that time." The major advised.

"I'll try Dad." She promised.

"Miss, we need to get you on board." The gentle voice of the stewardess interrupted the goodbyes.

"I'm ready." Sarah nodded and headed through the gate. She stopped for a moment and turned around. "I'll call you as soon as I get to my hotel."

She turned back around and was followed by the stewardess as they walked toward the aircraft. She walked up the stairs and as she reached the top step, stopped again and waved before she disappeared inside.

A few moments later the door was closed and the stairs were rolled away as the engines came to life and slowly began to gather strength.

Ann felt Danny's arm around her shoulders again and he was tense. She slipped an arm around his waist and tried to let him know that he wasn't alone. It was particularly hard for him, Ann knew because he'd always been close to Sarah and they were being separated again.

It seemed to take forever before the plane finally began to move and slowly lumbered toward the runway. The noise had become to great to try and talk but it filled in the silence of the family group that came to say goodbye.

Mrs. McCawley seemed to take advantage of it because the major put his arms around her and she began to cry. He was saying something to her because Ann saw her nod as his hand caressed her back in comfort.

The noise abated as the aircraft got farther away only to slow to a stop and then began to move again as it rolled onto the runway. It stopped one more time as the engines revved and then moved down the runway. It picked up speed and before anyone realized it, the plane was in the air and headed toward California.

Sarah's mother took that time to gather her composure and dab her eyes with the major's handkerchief.

"Why don't y'all come back to the house for some lunch? Sandra figured that you might not feel much like makin' yourself somethin' so she put a small buffet together." Dad offered.

Ann could see several different emotions cross Mrs. McCawley's face, as she seemed to try and decide if she wanted company or to be alone. Company won out. "Thank you Sandra, that would be lovely."

"It's odd, isn't it Ev? Our parents had to say goodbye to us all those years ago when we joined the Navy and we left home. Now here _we_ are and you're saying goodbye to your own daughter." Mama commented.

"I understand how my mother felt now. It was different when Rafe and I had to leave Danny and Sarah behind because we knew they'd be coming to us when the school year was over. Sarah might never come back here to live and I must admit that the idea makes me sad."

"There's always the telephone honey." Danny's father reassured her. "You still burn up the long distance line talkin' to Martha."

"That's true." She conceded. "It's just so hard sometimes to believe that my children are young adults."

"It's hard for us too Mama." Danny joked. "We have to take care of ourselves now."

"_Some_ of us do." Joe chimed in with a grin. "I still live at home."

"And you're earnin' your keep, ain't you?" Major McCawley smiled.

"I'm earning my keep." He answered.

"All right everybody, let's head on out of here." Dad shook his head in amusement. "There's food back at the house that needs to be eaten."

The McCawley's seemed to be reluctant to leave the gate until Dad put his hand on the major's shoulder. "Come on Rafe, we're done here."

"I know." He nodded and took Mrs. McCawley's hand. "You ready for somethin' to eat?"

"I think so. Food hasn't been high on my list the last few days and I'm suddenly very hungry." She admitted.

"So am I." He grinned. "She's goin' to be fine Evelyn and so will we."

"Yes we will."

"All right then." Dad laughed. "Now that we have that settled, let's go eat."

As the families left the tarmac, their spirits seemed to be lighter. Sarah was heading toward a new life and a new adventure.

They couldn't be sad about that.


	56. Change Is On The Way

Not for the first time since he'd talked to his best friend about the possibility, Danny found himself standing in front of a jewelry store window looking at the selection of engagement rings. He wasn't ready, by any stretch of the imagination to propose but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to see the rest of his life without Ann in it.

It was odd really, because in all the time that he and Caroline were together he found it difficult to see the rest of his life with _her_ in it and proposing to her was something that never crossed his mind.

He'd run into Major Harris on base a couple of weeks earlier and he told Danny that Caroline had gotten married. As the major put it, she'd snagged some Wall Street whiz and now oversaw the running of their penthouse in Manhattan. He and Mrs. Harris had yet to meet their new son-in-law because he and Caroline were married in a New York courthouse by a state Supreme Court judge.

The piece of news struck Danny as odd because he always imagined that she would want the biggest and splashiest wedding she could arrange. But he suspected that she planned it that way so that her parents wouldn't have to be there. Major Harris was philosophical about the whole matter, however and figured that if his only child was happy that was all he could wish for. It didn't mean that he and Mrs. Harris weren't deeply hurt and disappointed but Caroline was Caroline and she was going to do what suited _her_ and no one else.

He was just glad to be out of that mess but couldn't help but feel sorry for her parents. They were nice people and Major Harris was proud to be in the service. It was too bad that their daughter didn't appreciate that.

"Have you settled on anything yet?" Danny was startled by the gentle voice of Evelyn who was suddenly at his side. "Some of those rings are awfully pretty."

"I'm just looking." He told her. "Marriage isn't in my plans yet."

She smiled at him and looked as though she was trying not to laugh. "When is marriage in _anyone's_ plans Dan? You'll know when the time is right to ask."

He grinned back at her. "You seem to know what you're talking about."

"I was referring to my parents." Her face flushed. "Mom didn't think that she was ready to get married but Dad was and it just took some time for him to convince her that _she_ was too."

"Are _you_ ready to get married?" Danny challenged her.

"Heaven's, no!" She replied and sounded more than a little defensive. "Don't get me wrong, I love Henry and I love being with him. But _he_ isn't ready to settle down yet either, as much as he loves me."

"Then what exactly is it the two of you are doing?" He asked with a frown.

She seemed to take his question as an accusation because she put her hands on her hips and frowned back. "Not what you _seem_ to think we're doing."

"What exactly is it that you think _I_ think you're doing?" He was lost for a moment and then suddenly realized where her thoughts were going. "Jeez Evelyn, that's not what I meant."

"Oh." She paused in embarrassment. "Then what _did_ you mean?"

"You and Hank have practically been inseparable since the squadron party and it seems to me that in all the time you've been spending with him you would know by now where your relationship was headed." He tried to explain.

"Dan, you have to remember that we've only been dating for six weeks. We _have_ known each other for the last few years and you'd think that it would be enough, but most of that has been spent bickering. We're just now getting to know each other as something other than a sparing partner."

"That's true." He admitted reluctantly. "And when you put it that way, I do understand what you mean. I've known Annie here whole life but I didn't really get to know her until we started seeing each other."

"There you go." She smiled at him before she pointed at one of the solitaires in the window. "Unless I miss my guess, that's the ring you've been looking at since I found you standing here."

He looked at her and nodded. "That's the one. And I've been standing here debating with myself whether I should get it now or wait until I'm ready to propose and get it for her then."

"Have you been to any other jewelry stores?"

"I feel as though I've been to every jewelry store in Honolulu looking and this is the first time I've seen something that I thought Ann would like."

"If this is the first ring that you've seen that has caught your eye then I think you should buy it." She suggested to him. "Because if you don't and it isn't here when you're ready to propose, you'll kick yourself."

"Of course if she says no, it won't really matter." He laughed but Evelyn didn't seem to find it amusing.

"Don't even joke about that, of course she's going to say yes."

"What about you Evelyn? If Hank were to propose would _you_ say yes?" He asked her seriously. "You wouldn't have taken the step you did with him if a permanent relationship weren't in your future."

Danny was perplexed when her face lost some of its color and tears began to well up in her eyes. "He might _have_ to if my dad gets wind of anything."

He started to ask her why Hank would have to propose before he realized what she was getting at and it stunned him.

"I think I might be pregnant." The words he expected came out as barely a whisper and then she did begin to cry.

It was an awkward place for her to lose her composure, a busy street but she was a friend who was probably scared and needed some comfort and reassurance. Her arms found their way around his neck and he held her. She was shaking badly and he patted her just below her shoulder blades to try and calm her. "Come on Evelyn, you've got to pull yourself together and tell me what's going on."

"It's a mess." Her muffled voice told him.

Danny pulled her arms gently from around his neck, pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. "The Black Cat is only a half block away, so why don't we go grab a booth and you can explain everything."

She dabbed at her eyes and her nose. "I'll wash it and return it to you."

"Take your time." He answered as she tucked her arm through his and stayed close as they walked down to the diner. It was nearly empty as it usually was in the late afternoon when he opened the door and a bell rang overhead.

"Good afternoon folks. We're not ready to serve dinner yet if that's what you were here for." A waitress informed them from behind the counter.

Danny shook his head. "We were just going to have some coffee, if there is any."

"I just made a fresh pot. And if you're interested, the cook just pulled a fresh apple pie out of the oven." She added.

He looked at Evelyn and she nodded. "We'll be in the back booth."

"I'll be there in a jiffy." She promised as Danny took Evelyn by the elbow and guided her to the secluded booth. She sat down on one side while he slid in on the other and sighed.

"I don't know how this happened." She sighed as well and then seemed to realize how it sounded because her face flushed and she amended her comment. "I mean, I _know_ how it could have happened but it never occurred to me that it might."

"And not having planned it, neither of you was prepared for it." He remarked gingerly because he was treading into territory that wasn't any of his business. "Have you seen your doctor yet?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid to. It's silly, I know but part of me is putting off going because if I don't go then I can't be pregnant, right?"

"Whether you go to the doctor or not won't change that." Evelyn wasn't making sense.

"I know. I'm being irrational and stupid because if I find out that I _am_ going to have a baby, Hank will more than likely propose and I don't want him to do that out of a sense of obligation. I want him to propose because he _wants_ to."

"He'd do anything for you." Danny tried to reassure her.

She shrugged. "I don't think anything includes marriage, at least not yet."

"Shouldn't Hank be the one to decide if he's ready to get married?" He asked.

"He may not even be ready to be a father."

"Well whether you marry him or not, there's still the possibility and the Air Force frowns on it's officers having children without being married." He quietly reminded her.

"I know." She conceded.

"Here we are." The waitress approached the table with a pot of coffee and two cups in one hand and a couple of plates with pie on them in the other. She set down the pie, then the cups and filled them. "Sugar and cream are on the table and I'll be right back with forks."

"Thank you." Danny said and waited for her to go back for the forks. She set them down a moment later and walked back to the counter. "All right Evelyn, if you know that then you know that you need to tell him."

She put her hands on the table and leaned forward. "Tell him what? I'm not even sure what the situation is yet."

"That's true. But if it turns out that you _are_ going to have a baby, I don't think it's fair to Hank to drop a piece of news like that on him _after_ you find out. He should at least know that there's a possibility." He reasoned.

Evelyn sat back against the seat and Danny knew that he'd given her something to think about. "He's going to propose."

"So what if he does? It's not as if he doesn't love you, which you already know that he does. And it's not as though he wouldn't want to have kids with you because I'm sure that it's crossed his mind. It would just be a lot sooner than he expected that's all."

"It's just not the way I thought that I'd start a marriage." She sighed. "You're _supposed_ to get married first and then have kids."

"Well, you may still end up getting married first if this turns out to be a false alarm."

Evelyn looked at him and seemed to weigh what she wanted to say to him. "Would it sound terrible if I said that I wished I weren't pregnant?"

"Why would that be terrible? It's not as though you're saying that you don't want to have kids." He frowned. "You _do_ want to have kids don't you?"

Her face flushed and then she smiled at him. "If they all looked like Henry I'd have a house full, but preferably not _now_."

Danny couldn't help but laugh because he had the feeling that his best friend would want that house full to look like Evelyn and he told her so.

"You should see the way he is with the little kids when we go for our walk on the beach." Her smile grew. "They just seem to flock to him."

He'd never noticed it when they'd gone on their runs, but it usually wasn't the time of day when the kids were out and it's probably why Danny never had the chance to observe. "Evelyn, would it really be such a bad thing if you did have to get married? I know it isn't exactly the way you'd want to start things, but if it's something that you're faced with you should remember that it came out of your love for each other."

"I know."

"Then you'll tell him?" Danny asked her.

"Tell me what?"

The sudden appearance of one Lieutenant Henry Metcalf gave him a start and when he glanced at Evelyn the color began to drain from her face.

"You always do that." She frowned and reverted to old form. "You're ears must have been burning all the way over here."

It wasn't lost on Hank, though and he didn't seem to know what to do.

Danny slid out of his seat even though the look from Evelyn begged him to stay. "Why don't you have a seat and spend some time with your girlfriend. I didn't touch my coffee and pie so you can have it."

"You seemed to be having a serious conversation when I walked in, what gives?" He asked.

"What gives is that I think I'm going back to that jewelry store." He smiled at Evelyn. "You were right about my regretting it if I don't get the ring. I'm not ready to pop the question yet but when I am, that's the perfect ring to give to her."

"I'm glad Dan and she will be too." She tried to smile and it seemed to be taking a real effort. She then looked up at Hank. "I'm sorry for being short with you Henry. Please sit down because there's something that I need to discuss with you."

Hank looked at him with curiosity and Danny shook his head. "Sit down and listen to her Hank, she'll fill you in."

He could see that his best friend didn't know what to expect and was slow to sit down across from Evelyn. When he finally did Danny said goodbye and walked to the counter to pay the bill. He gave the waitress enough money to include a meal and asked her to tell them that dinner was on him. They had a lot of talking to do and he didn't want them to have an excuse to leave without hashing everything out first.

As for him, he left the diner and walked the half block back to the jewelry store. He stopped in front of the window to locate the solitaire that he'd been looking at before Evelyn showed up and after he did, walked inside.


	57. Evelyn Is Having A Baby

A/N: I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post this. I've been trying to rethink how I want the story to continue and haven't had much spare time to figure it out. I can't promise that I'll be back to posting every Saturday, but I will do my best once I have the chance to figure things out. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this.

* * *

He had the ring and now Danny didn't know what the hell to do with it.

He'd left Hank and Evelyn that afternoon at the Black Cat to talk and backtracked to the jewelry store so he could take another look at the ring that had caught his eye, before deciding to buy it. He took it home and put the open ring box on his night table next to the picture of he and Ann from her prom, which was finally framed. The small solitaire sat there and winked at him under the glow of the bedside lamp but he did not yet know when it would be winking at him from her finger.

What he _did_ know at the moment was that Ann was in Ohio visiting her grandparents. After a long talk with Major and Mrs. Walker, she took a leave of absence from school and decided to spend time visiting the O'Connell's for awhile before she headed to Tennessee to visit _his_ grandparents. She'd even talked about visiting Sarah before she headed to the airport in San Francisco to catch a flight home.

He missed her but understood the need to see her grandparents. Mrs. O'Connell was a no-nonsense kind of woman as he'd found out first hand at Thanksgiving and he figured that Ann needed the no-nonsense kind of advice from _her_ that his grandfather McCawley never hesitated to give _him_.

In the meantime, he needed to get to the Black Cat to meet Hank and Evelyn because they had news for him and didn't want to talk about it over the phone. He hadn't seen Evelyn since she'd talked to him at the diner a week earlier and Hank was being pretty tight lipped about what was going on. Danny still didn't know if she was going to have a baby or not and what this was going to mean for her and for Hank.

He grabbed his car keys off of the side table and opened the front door only to stop when his telephone began to ring. He reversed course and headed to the counter to pick up the receiver. It was his mother.

"Hi honey, it's me."

"Hi Mama, what's the big occasion?" He grinned because his parents rarely called him. He saw them so often that there was no need.

"You're a smart aleck Daniel, just like your father."

"I knew I got that from somewhere." He laughed as she continued.

"Dad and I thought that you might like to come over for dinner. We're going to put in a call to your sister and we thought that you and Joe would like to talk to her." She explained and Danny thought that she sounded a little tense.

"I was about to head over to the Black Cat to meet Hank and Evelyn but we weren't planning on having dinner. If you can give me about a half-hour, I'll be there." He told her.

"That's become your place to meet each other, hasn't it?" She asked. "It was always a favorite of ours."

"What is it that you used to say, the place had charm?" He smiled to himself.

"It must still have if another generation is frequenting it." He heard her laugh and she sounded a little more relaxed. "I guess it's a good thing that the Hula-La isn't still around."

"The Hula-La?" _What in the hell was the Hula-La and who came up with such a stupid name?_

She laughed again. "Ask your dad about it sometime. In his younger days, it was a watering hole on the beach where the servicemen would spend their off duty hours."

"Mama, the Hula-La?" He shook his head in disbelief.

"Don't make fun now, Danny. It was a place the boys could go to relax and unwind. It was mostly for the enlisted because they couldn't go to the Officer's Club, but no serviceman was ever turned away regardless of rank."

"I can't exactly see someone like Jimmy Doolittle at a place like that." He didn't know why, but one of the greatest flying aces he'd learned about at the Academy came to mind.

"As it so happens young man, he _was_ there." He heard his mother's admonition loud and clear over the telephone line. "He and his aircrews had been to the White House to meet President Roosevelt at a formal reception after the Tokyo raid and it was pretty overwhelming. Getting all of them together at the Hula-La was a way for Colonel Doolittle, as we knew him at the time to thank them himself. It was also a way for all of them to say goodbye to the boys who didn't come back."

"Dad and Major Walker flew with General Doolittle, didn't they?"

"Not only did they fly with him; they were stationed at Mitchell when he was still a Major. Your dad always seemed to be getting into trouble with him because he would pull some stunt or another as he told me. A 45,000 dollar airplane was not there for his amusement, as the major would tell him." And Danny heard her laugh again. She was reliving some good memories and it made him smile, but then she seemed to admonish herself. "Well, enough of that. Dad and I will be expecting you in a half-hour and we'll call your sister when you get here."

"I won't be long." He promised her. "Mama, is everything all right?"

"Everything is fine Danny. We'll see you in thirty minutes."

"Yes, ma'am." He reassured her as her end of the line went dead and he hung up his receiver. Danny couldn't help but wonder what the occasion was that his mother wanted them all together to call his sister? He'd already talked to her a couple of times and he got regular letters from her telling him about the new base and how different California was from Hawaii.

Her letters sounded really homesick sometimes and it took him back to his four years at the Academy when he felt just as she did. It made him want to go to the mainland himself and bring her home. But living away from his family had been a good experience for him when all was said and done and he hoped it would be the same for Sarah.

He picked up his keys again and closed the door as he stepped outside.

The drive to the Black Cat didn't take long and as luck would have it traffic was light. He parked in front of the diner and as he shut down the engine, wondered what the verdict was going to be. And if turned out that Evelyn _was_ going to have a baby, what were she and Hank going to do about it?

The bell rang above the door as Danny walked inside and he found Hank and Evelyn in their booth. He had a hold of her hands and they had their heads down, as they seemed to be trying to conduct a private conversation. He could feel a knot begin to form in his stomach because the way they were acting, the results weren't what they hoped for.

"I'm sorry I'm late." He began. "Mama called as I was leaving my quarters."

"Is everything all right?" Evelyn looked up with concern and Danny couldn't tell if it was because of her situation or a possible situation with his family.

"As far as I know. She and Dad want Joe and me at the house because they're going to call my sister and then we're going to have dinner." Danny explained to them.

"Why does she want you there just for a phone call?" Hank asked as he slid over in the seat to make room for Danny.

"I'll find out when I get there." He shrugged as he sat down and then looked at his friends. "But I'm not here to talk about my family. I'm here to find out what's going on with the two of you, so just give it to me straight. Is there going to be a baby or not?"

He watched as Evelyn glanced at Hank and then her face flushed before she looked at Danny. He had his answer, or so he thought.

"I'm not going to have a baby." She told him. "My doctor said that it was probably a bad case of nerves. Which would make sense seeing as what we did."

"But it doesn't change the way I feel about her." Hank interjected. "And even though we aren't having a baby I've asked her to marry me."

A marriage proposal was the last thing Danny expected and he was floored. He looked at Evelyn and the flush on her face deepened and he couldn't help but wonder if she'd turned him down because Hank looked so serious.

"And what did you say?" He asked the prospective bride and it was then that she smiled.

"What else could I say Dan? I said yes." And when he turned to his friend, he was also smiling.

"So if you're both happy about this why did you look so serious when I walked in?" Danny was a little confused at the situation.

"We weren't sure how you would feel about it." Evelyn answered. "You know how at odds we were with each other for such a long time and then we found ourselves in a situation that I never thought would happen. We've spent a lot of time together since then and when we were home for Christmas he met my family and I met his. My parents are crazy about him."

"And _my_ parents think she's crazy." Hank laughed.

"Henry, they do not and you know it." She admonished him. "My parents love him and they're glad that I found someone who isn't so serious. When I was growing up Dad always seemed to be reminding me to smile. He said that I always looked as though I had something on my mind, which I usually did."

"So have you set a date yet or are you going wait for awhile?" Danny was curious.

"Wait for what?" Hank looked incredulous. "We don't know when this war is going to end and frankly, I don't _want_ to wait. After what happened to you I feel like I'd be a fool not to marry her now. If something happens to me I'd rather she be my wife and not just my girlfriend."

"And you're all right with this?" He pressed her. "What happened to 'I'm not ready to get married'?"

"I honestly didn't think that I was." Evelyn admitted. "Henry and I talked for a long time after you left us last week and we agreed that if it turned out that I was pregnant, we would get married. But after we received the news this afternoon that I wasn't, he wanted to marry me anyway. I knew at that moment I wouldn't find anyone who would love me as much as he does or someone that I would ever love more than him."

It all seemed so fast, but Danny knew that Hank wasn't a guy to drag his feet once he'd made up his mind about something. And if anyone could keep him in line, it was Evelyn. "So when is the big day going to be?"

"As soon as the Wheeler Chapel is available and when you agree to be my best man." His best friend put an arm around his shoulders. "What do you say Lieutenant?"

"And I would really like it if Ann would be my maid of honor." Evelyn added. "You shouldn't stand up with any one but her."

"Don't you have a friend from Chicago or Colorado Springs that you'd like to ask? I know Ann wouldn't mind if you did." Danny tried to reassure her.

"No one that I was particularly close to. And all I have are brothers, so I don't even have a sister to ask." She put her chin in her hand. "How sad is that?"

"What's sad is that you're actually going to marry this guy." He grinned. "I don't think you know what you're getting into."

"Don't worry Dan, I know exactly what I'm getting into. I just wonder if Henry does." Her laugh was gentle.

"I think I've just been warned." Hank answered with a grin.

"Forewarned _is_ forearmed, Henry." Evelyn smiled at him. "Didn't your parents teach you that?"

"Among other things." He laughed before he turned back to Danny. "So what do you say Dan?"

"I'd be honored to be your best man. Just keep me posted on the day and I'll be there in my dress uniform." He smiled. "And as far as Ann goes, you'll have to ask her yourself Evelyn. I don't think this is something that should come from me."

"Do you know when she'll be home?"

"I'm not sure. But I do know that she's at her grandparents for a few more days and you can call her there." He proceeded to write down the O'Connell's telephone number on a napkin and slid it across the table to Evelyn.

"You have it memorized?" Hank joked with him.

"And what's it to you?" Danny grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out that you have Evelyn's phone number tattooed on you somewhere."

"And what's it to _you_?" He laughed. "Some women would find that romantic."

"Not this woman." Evelyn frowned. "If you let a tattoo needle mark up that body before we're married, we're not getting married."

"Ev." It was Hank's turn to frown.

"Don't 'Ev' me Henry, I mean it." She was firm and Danny could sense that she wasn't going to budge on the matter. "Not one mark."

It had begun the night of the squadron party, Evelyn letting Hank know what she was willing to accept and what she wasn't. And she was letting him know right then and there how she felt about tattoos. Not that Hank was about to go out and get one, but if it had ever crossed his mind he now knew that Evelyn would not abide it. "Not one mark." He promised.

She reached across the table and took his hand. "This works both ways, don't forget that."

Danny glanced at his watch and his time was nearly up. "As much as I enjoy the two of you sparring I have to bug out; Dad and Mama are expecting me."

"Is that your subtle way of telling us to knock it off?" Hank laughed.

"No Henry it isn't." He shook his head and smiled as he slid over to the edge of the seat and stood up. "It's my blunt way of telling you that I need to leave now."

"I'll call Ann tomorrow and then once she gets home we can start putting this wedding together." Evelyn informed him as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket.

"Maybe it'll get her home sooner." He couldn't help but admit.

"Maybe it will Dan, maybe it will." She smiled at him as he raised a hand in farewell and walked out of the diner.

It didn't take him long to leave Honolulu and drive back to Wheeler. Traffic was light for a change and he didn't have to wait long to get to the gate and show his identification to the MP. He was waved through and headed toward his parent's house.

When he got there, they were both waiting on the porch. He parked in front of the house and glanced at his watch again after he shut down his engine. He had five minutes to spare, so why did he feel as though he were late?

He got out of the car and walked up to the front porch. His father was holding his mother's hand and the smiles on their faces were of happiness. Was Sarah coming home after all?

"I can't remember the last time I saw the two of you sitting together on the front porch." He commented warily. "Mama usually comes out here for her afternoon cup of coffee, but you're always together on the _back _porch."

"It's always good to shake things up every once in awhile son." His father told him as his mother put her head on his shoulder.

_What in the hell was going on? _

"Where's Joe?" He asked as his brother wandered out onto the porch and stood next to the porch swing.

"Waiting for you." He grinned in response. "Mama said that we would eat after you got here and called Sarah."

"Which we will do." Mama said as she let go of Dad's hand and walked toward the screen door. "Let's get inside before it gets too late."

Dad waited for Joe and himself to follow Mama into the house before he brought up the rear. She had the receiver in her hand and was dialing as they all gathered around her and the telephone. They all waited as Mama waited for Sarah to answer and when she finally did, Mama smiled. "Hi honey."

He listened to the one-sided conversation as his mother told his sister what was happening on the base. He presumed that Sarah was telling her about Travis because she nodded. "I'll ask Dad about that. Honey, the reason that I called was that Dad and I have some news and your brothers are here so we can tell all of you together."

Danny looked at his brother for an answer, but Joe only shrugged.

"Pay attention and you'll find out." His father told them quietly as his mother continued.

"Sarah, you're going to have a baby brother or sister in about seven and half months." And his mother's face flushed.

He and Joe looked at each other in disbelief and then at their father for confirmation. He nodded in the affirmative as Danny tried to comprehend what his mother just said. _A baby?_

He heard Sarah on the other end of the line and he couldn't tell if she were laughing or crying. "It was quite a surprise for us too. We thought we were all done having children running around here and then this happened."

Mama laughed and it sounded as though Sarah were asking her questions a mile a minute as she always did when she was excited. "I'm fine and the baby's fine. Your dad is fine too, just surprised like I was."

"Do the Walker's know?" Danny asked his father quietly.

"Not yet. Mama wanted all of you to know first before she told them." He said and he was trying very badly to hide a grin. It was the kind of happiness Danny didn't understand, but hoped to some day.

"I promise that I'll call and tell you how things are going." After a moment listening to Sarah, she laughed. "When it gets close to my due date I'll let you know so that you can come home."

_Due date?_

"Sure you can talk to Dad, hang on." And she handed the receiver to Dad with a smile. "Your daughter has a few words for you."

When she faced Danny and his brother, he didn't know what to say.

"I know it's a lot to take in right now." She assured him. "It was a big surprise for us too."

"How?" He asked and immediately knew what an asinine question it was because he _knew_ how it happened. "I mean, why now?"

"These things sometimes happen Danny." Mama tried to explain. "I'm still able to have children and Dad and I." Her voice trailed off and her face flushed again. "Your Dad and I still love each other." She said in way of explanation.

Joe laughed. "I won't be the baby in the family anymore."

"Are you all right with that?" Mama asked him and seemed concerned.

"I'm going to be a big brother." He grinned and then hugged his mother. "Thanks Mama."

"We didn't do this so you wouldn't be the baby of the family, you know." She laughed and over Joe's shoulder looked at her oldest. "What do you think of this Danny?"

"I was just thinking that this new baby won't have his or her brothers and sister to grow up with. Joe's nearly through with school and then he'll be gone." He commented with a shrug.

"We've thought about that too since we found out about this and it does make us a little sad that this one didn't come along while you kids were still in school. But it didn't work out that way, so you'll just have to come over more often."

He smiled then. "More often than every day?"

"You're hardly here every day Danny. But I appreciate the fact that you want to be such a part of the baby's life." And she hugged him. "You're going to be a big brother again. Just with a little distance this time."

"Sarah and I could always move home." He joked as he hugged her back. "Then it would be like old times."

"Only if you shared a room with your brother, you'd have to give up your old room." She smiled as she let him go.

"And have his smelly feet in _my_ room? I don't think so." His brother joked. "It was bad enough having them across the hall."

"My feet don't smell, but you _do_ snore little brother and it was loud enough to wake the dead sometimes." He grinned back. "Even with my door closed I could hear it."

"All right you two. That's enough because no one is moving anywhere." Mama shook her head in amusement. "Danny will stay in his quarters, Joe will stay here until he graduates and Dad and I will expect help from the both of you. We're a little older than the last time we went through this and I don't know how much energy I'm going to have running after a two-year old."

"Don't worry Mama, we'll help you." Joe put an arm around her shoulders. "It's the least I can do since I'm not going to be a baby brother anymore."

"You still _will_ be if your mama has a girl." Dad commented as he stood behind Mama. "Sarah says to say hello to the both of you and that she'll write soon. So are they over the shock, honey?"

"I think we're getting used to the idea Dad." Danny admitted. "It's just kind of odd to think that there's going to be another McCawley before the end of the year."

"Think how we feel." He smiled. "It's goin' to take some gettin' used to three o'clock feedin's again and walkin' the floor when the baby has colic, or teethin'. Sarah had a hell of a time when her teeth started comin' in."

"I remember. And it seemed that nothing I did would soothe her gums." She remembered.

"Daddy did suggest puttin' a little bourbon and water in a bottle." Dad laughed.

"And you remember what your mother said about that." Mama smiled back. "I thought she was going to put him out on the back porch for the night."

"She almost did." He told her. "So if you boys are ready, I'm starvin' and your mama's eatin' for two now so let's eat."

"We'll eat when the three of you help me get dinner on the table." She admonished them as she walked into the kitchen.

Danny looked at his brother and smiled as they followed their mother. "It's just like old times."


	58. A Season Of Change

It was the second phone call from home in two days.

The previous days call had been from Evelyn and Ann was more than a little surprised when she announced that she and Hank were going to get married and asked if Ann would be her maid of honor? Evelyn explained briefly about the false alarm they'd had and the fact that Hank wanted to marry her even though they weren't going to have a baby.

Ann accepted without a second thought and Evelyn told her that they could make all the necessary decisions when she got home.

The second call was from Danny and Ann was in disbelief when he told her that Major and Mrs. McCawley were going to have a baby. She could tell from Danny's tone that he was still trying to get used to the idea and couldn't tell how he was adjusting. From what he told her, Sarah and Joe were thrilled as were his parents but Danny said he couldn't help but feel as though he were living in an episode of 'The Twilight Zone'.

"I don't remember anything when she was going to have Sarah because I was still a baby myself and I don't remember too much with Joe because I was barely four. But with this one I'll be _twenty_-four." She heard him sigh and could almost see him running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm old enough to be a father myself and instead I find that I'm going to be a big brother again."

"Aren't you happy for them?" She was beginning to worry because the more he talked; the more upset he seemed to become.

"Annie, I don't know _how_ I feel. I know I should be happy for them and part of me is but part of me thinks that they're too old for this and they should be thinking about being grandparents eventually, not _new_ parents."

His attitude disappointed her. His own mother was going to bring another new life into the world and he didn't seem the least bit happy about it. "This may come as a surprise to you Lieutenant, but I don't think that your parents are having a baby because they want to put off being grandparents. Maybe it's the idea that your parent's still love each other so completely that has you bothered."

"What are you talking about?" _He was so clueless sometimes._

She didn't like being blunt, but the occasion definitely demanded it. "What I'm talking about is the fact that your parents still make love and that bothers you."

"That's crazy!" He sounded too defensive and she knew she was right.

"Is it? Then why are you so upset that your mother is pregnant?" She pressed.

"Why should it bother me that my mother is going to have a baby?" He sounded even more defensive.

"You can't say it, can you?" The whole thing struck Ann as so ironic and she wanted to laugh, but didn't because it certainly wouldn't help things.

"Say what?"

"Your mother is _pregnant_ Danny, why can't you say it?"

"Pregnant, having a baby; it's all the same thing." He snapped at her.

It _was_ all the same thing, in this Danny was right. But she suspected that he couldn't bring himself to say the _word_ pregnant because it wouldn't allow him to hide behind the gentle euphemism of what his mother was now going through. By saying pregnant, it was a much more direct way of conveying to him that his parent's were still in many ways the young couple that had fallen in love so many years before.

She knew that to press the matter would upset him even more so she desisted and changed the subject. "Evelyn seems pretty excited about getting married."

"Don't even get me started on that." His mood seemed to be blackening and Ann got the feeling that any further discussion about _anything _was going to make it worse, so she decided that it was time to say goodbye.

"You know Danny; you're showing me a side of you that I don't particularly care for." She told him with a frown. "I've never known you to be so selfish or self-centered and you're delivering it in spades as far as your parents are concerned. They have to readjust their plans now and instead of looking forward to your dad's retirement and having the chance to relax, they're going to be starting from square one again with a new baby. But from what you've said, they seem really happy about it and you should be too."

"Annie."

"Don't 'Annie' me, Daniel. I expected more out of you than acting like a petulant child and that's exactly what you're being, so I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Fine." And the line went dead.

"Damn pilot!" She said and slammed the receiver down without realizing that Grandma O'Connell was standing in the doorway.

"That must have been some telephone call." She commented. "You said damn and I believe it's the first time I've ever heard you curse."

"He's being selfish and unreasonable." Ann informed her as she walked to the sofa and sat down.

"What exactly is he being selfish and unreasonable about, honey?" Grandma followed and sat down next to her. "Come on child, what is this all about?"

As the thought truly hit her, she couldn't help but smile. "Mrs. McCawley is going to have a baby."

"Oh my." She answered with a look of surprise and then began to laugh. "God works in mysterious ways Ann and for some reason that only He knows He wants the McCawley's to raise another child."

"Danny thinks that they're too old to be parents again." Ann elaborated.

"Oh, phooey! If Evelyn McCawley were too old to be a mother again she wouldn't have gotten pregnant; it's as simple as that. And I imagine that with everything they learned with their older children, she and Rafe will do just fine."

"Could you and Grandpa have done it?" She asked.

"If we'd been put in that position of course we could have. It would certainly have been different because we would have been older parents, but as long as I had your grandpa to help me we would have been fine. Of course, I don't know if Evelyn's prepared for the stares she's bound to get."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that women her age are usually becoming grandmothers, not _new _mothers. And I have no doubt that she's going to get some unkind looks from people if not downright hurtful remarks." She explained.

"Why would people be so terrible?" Ann frowned.

Her grandmother took her hand and held it firmly. "Because there seems to be some unwritten rule somewhere that women her age shouldn't have babies and she may be reminded of that by some who should be minding their own business."

"Danny seems to fall into that category a little." She commented with a sigh.

"Ah, so now we get back to your conversation with young Danny." Grandma chuckled. "It seems as though he's having a hard time dealing with the fact that his mother is pregnant."

"He's being a child about the whole thing and as much as I love him, it's one thing about him that really irritates me." Ann fumed.

Grandma brushed the hair back from her forehead and smiled. "Give him some time to take all of this in. With what he's been through in the last few months and everything finally beginning to fall back into place for him, he probably feels as though his whole world is being turned upside down _again_.

"The one thing you have to remember is that a pilot depends on having control over a situation, especially when they're in the air because they need to know that they'll be able to get from one destination to another safely and in one piece. And this particular situation with his parents is something that he has no control over."

"But it's not about _him_, Grandma. It's about his parents taking on a pretty big challenge when they thought those challenges were behind them." She persisted.

"I don't know what else to tell you honey because I don't know Danny very well. But my impression of him from what I've seen over the years is that he's a very level headed young man and isn't given to fits of anger without a reason. It might not be a bad idea for you to talk to him again and find out what's bothering him without antagonizing him."

"I was not antagonizing him." Ann frowned, but deep down she knew that her grandmother was right even though it wasn't deliberate. She just wanted him to be straightforward and he wouldn't be.

"I heard your end of the conversation, young lady and it's exactly what you were doing. You may not have meant to do it, but it's how it turned out." Her grandmother looked her in the eye and she felt about two inches tall. "And I'd wager it's something that you already realize so I won't say any more about it."

"I appreciate that." She sighed.

"Well, I need to finish making dinner." Grandma stood up and held out her hand. "I could use some help if you wouldn't mind."

"I don't mind." Ann shook her head and stood up next to her grandmother and took it. It was a warm and firm grasp that seemed to tell her everything was going to be fine. They walked together toward the living room doorway when the telephone rang.

Grandma picked it up and after she said hello, smiled. "It's for you, Ann." and after handing her the receiver, walked out of the room.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end was one she didn't expect to hear again that afternoon and told her something she didn't expect. "Annie, my mother's pregnant."

He wasn't such a child after all.


	59. The Major And His Son Have A Talk

It was an unexpected visit and Danny got the feeling that he was in some trouble with his father because Dad stood at the front door of his quarters looking none to pleased with his eldest son and didn't hesitate to tell him so. "You've been makin' yourself scarce around home son and while your mama would never say anythin', I'd sure as hell like to know why."

He never did mince words and Mama was always asking him to be more diplomatic. But Dad was like Gramps, blunt.

"I've been logging in hours on the P-40 just to be able to fly again." Danny explained as his father walked inside without waiting for an invitation and tried not to be defensive about it, even though he knew there was reason to be. "The doctor's only cleared me for that and until I get the clearance from him to get back to combat flying I have to be content with the old fighter."

Dad nodded as he took off his cap and sat down on the sofa. "That's what I've been tellin' your mama but we both know there's a little more to it, don't we?"

"Would you like a beer?" He asked before heading to the kitchen.

"Sure." Dad answered as Danny opened the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of bottles. He pried the caps off with the opener he kept on the counter and walked back out to the living room. He handed one of the bottles to his father before sitting down next to him on the sofa.

"So how _is_ the leg? You said the doctor won't clear you to fly combat; is there somethin' you haven't told Mama or me?" He asked as he took a pull on the bottle. "She worries about that you know, your goin' back into combat."

"I know she does." Danny nodded. "She's never really said as much to me, but it's in what she _doesn't_ say."

"Which brings me back to why I'm here." He came back around to the point of his visit. "Ever since we told you about the baby, you haven't been around to see her as much and she's startin' to think that you might not be too happy about it. Is she right? And don't give me that line about flight hours because I won't buy it."

He was cornered again and just as he'd had to answer to Ann, he needed to answer to his father. "The truth is Dad; I don't exactly know _how_ I feel. I thought that I was okay with it and then I started to think that this is a time in your life when you and Mama should be thinking about _grand_kids, not _more_ kids."

"Are you sayin' that we're too old to be doin' this?" He put the bottle down on the coffee table with a force that startled Danny and he frowned.

"I won't lie and say that it didn't cross my mind because it did. But Mrs. O'Connell seems to think that if Mama can still get pregnant then she's obviously not too old to have another baby."

"You still haven't answered my question." His frown got deeper.

"I know, I'm getting to that." Danny took a breath and sighed. "I think what's thrown me about this whole thing is that because Mama is going to have a baby, it means that you and she still." He stopped short because he couldn't bring himself to say it. _Make love. _"It's just not something that I gave much thought to because you're my parents and I forget that you weren't always." He admitted.

"Mama and I may have gotten some gray in our hair and have three grown kids, but I love her as much as the day I married her. When _you_ look at her you see your mama, as you should. When _I_ look at her I still see the beautiful nurse she was when she poked me in the backside because I was bein' a little fresh with her." His smile was one of reminiscence. "I broke my nose and lost my heart that day.

"We still make love because we have the desire to be as close to each other as possible and I know it makes you uncomfortable to hear that, but it's how we feel. The truth is Danny, the last thing that we expected was a baby especially when we thought our parentin' days were behind us. We _were_ lookin' ahead to bein' grandparents but we also knew that wouldn't happen for a few more years. So instead we have a new baby on the way."

"It's just so much." He sighed again.

Dad laughed and took another pull on his beer. "Think about how _we_ feel. But you know somethin' son, we wouldn't change this for anythin'. We've been given the chance to bring one last life into the world and maybe _this_ time your brother or sister won't have to face a country at war. You've been through three already and ain't twenty-four years old yet, your sister too. Joe's been through two and he's in a position to be drafted if it comes to that."

"He _could_ get a college deferment if he gets called up and then he wouldn't have to go." Danny explained. "And since _we're_ already in the Air Force, that might help him too."

"We'll cross that bridge if we have to." His father let out a sigh of his own. "I would just prefer that _both_ of my boys not be in the service."

"I know Dad; we'll just have to see what happens." He replied as he took a pull on his own bottle. "It sure would be nice though if the baby wouldn't have to deal with any of this and just live a normal life."

"He or she might be doin' just that if I still decide to take retirement in a few years. That's what your mother and I planned on doin' before this happened, but I'll probably stay in beyond that now. The Air Force has been good to me by lettin' me stay here for all these years. It's unusual for a man in the service to stay in one place for long and we always expected to be transferred somewhere else at any given time. And I don't expect that they'll be sendin' me anywhere _now_."

"Would you consider going back to Tennessee?" Danny wondered and wasn't sure why.

"No I wouldn't." Dad was matter of fact about it. "All you kids were born here and your baby brother or sister will be born here, too. I want this child to have the chance to grow up the way you kids did and have the opportunities that _you_ had."

"Times are different than when we were growing up, though." He knew he was stating the obvious. "People don't seem to be looking at the world in the same way we did."

"That's because the world ain't the same as it was when you were a boy Danny. This war we're in now is for the right reasons, but the wrong people are involved in fightin' it. Instead of lettin' the men who are trained for it do their jobs, the fellows in Washington think that they know better and want to fight it their way. As a fellow who's flown in two other wars I can tell you that there _are_ better ways to do it. Now that's _my_ opinion but it won't stop me from doin' my duty and servin' my country the best way that I can."

"This isn't going to be simple, is it?"

"I'm afraid not son and it's hard to tell how long this thing is goin' to take." His father admitted frankly. "Things aren't as clear cut for the boys in Vietnam as it was for us. We had the Japs and the Germans while they have the North Vietnamese Army _and_ the Viet Cong. It's got to be a hard thing when you've got enemy soldiers and fellows who look like _civilians_ shootin' at you; I sure don't envy them."

Danny understood what it was his father was saying because in the weeks after he'd been shot down, he knew that he couldn't trust anyone he even _thought_ might be South Vietnamese because they might not be. And he wasn't going to take the risk.

"Well I don't know how in the hell we ended up goin' down this road when I came to talk to you about your mama. I would surely appreciate it if you would start comin' around like you always have and let her know that she's got your support. It's real important to her that you three are all right with this even though it's goin' to take some gettin' used to."

"Is she all right Dad? I mean, is there something that you aren't telling us?" He asked.

"You're mama is fine and the baby is fine. She just had a check up a couple of days ago and the doctor said that everythin' is on schedule." He sighed before he ran a hand through his hair and Danny couldn't remember the last time his father looked so frustrated. "What I'm talkin' about are the looks she's goin' to get when she starts showin'."

Danny frowned for a moment because he didn't understand what Dad was getting at, at first. When it finally dawned on him what he meant, it irritated him. "Why would she be getting looks from anyone?"

"Because we have some busybodies on this base who think women Mama's age shouldn't be havin' babies anymore and they won't hesitate to make her feel that way." He fumed. "It reminds me when she was goin' to have _you_. I'd asked her to marry me before I left on the Doolittle mission, not knowin' that she was goin' to end up pregnant.

"We got married as soon as possible after I got back, but before we were able to do that she was startin' to show and because she wasn't wearin' my weddin' ring yet, she wasn't treated very kindly by some. And while she accepted it, it made me damn mad. I just don't want to see her go through that again."

It shouldn't have surprised him to see how much his father still loved his mother, but it did. It was the fierce, protective love of a man who didn't want to see the woman he cherished hurt by anything. It was the kind of love he didn't quite understand because it was rare. Maybe it came from the years of their being together but Danny suspected that this love his father had for his mother was the kind of love that would always continue to grow.

And with a new baby on the way he knew it would deepen too.

"So have you heard when Annie's gettin' home?" Dad's voice broke into his thoughts. "Danny said he was goin' to call you when she was headin' back to Hawaii."

He stood up and picked up his father's empty bottle, as well as his own and started toward the kitchen. "He called me before you came over. Ann left San Francisco a few hours ago and he figures it's going to be a few more. He said he'd call back when he and Mrs. Walker headed for the airport so I could meet them there if I wanted to."

His father followed him into the small kitchen and leaned against the counter. "I don't suppose there's any reason you _wouldn't _want to." He grinned.

Danny grinned back and felt his face flush. "I _would_ like to. But I was thinking that she hasn't seen her family for a few weeks and they should have that time with her. I can call her when she settles in."

"I imagine that she wants to see you too."

"We've got time Dad." He tried to reassure his father.

"Danny, are you talkin' a lifetime?" Dad's expression became serious.

"I'm thinking about it." Was all he said.

"Well then I want you to keep one thing in mind. Annie is still very young and while she _is_ mature for her age it don't change the fact that she's just eighteen. And while her daddy can't say yes or no anymore, he might not like the idea of you pursuin' his girl with the idea of marriage."

"You and Mama weren't too much older."

Danny's father frowned at him. "We sure as hell were! I was twenty-five and she was twenty-four. I was already a pilot and she was a nurse. We were on our own and old enough to know our own minds."

He proceeded cautiously. "Gramps wasn't eighteen yet when he and Grams got married."

"Times were different Danny and people got married sooner." Dad told him. "Young people started their lives together earlier because men needed helpmates to work their farms. It also didn't hurt that Daddy knew he wanted to marry Mama when he was still so young."

"I'm nearly as old as _you_ were when you met Mama and I have something of an advantage. I've known Ann for most of her life and it seems to me that it should count for something." He was sounding defensive again, which his father seemed to pick up on because he crossed his arms across his chest and looked very annoyed.

"It's apples and oranges Danny and you damn well know that! You _are_ nearly as old as I was; I'll give you that. But you barely gave Annie the time of day when you were growin' up because you rarely saw her. You've only just gotten to know her in the last year and a half and I know for a fact that there _has_ been a time or two where you nearly got to know her a little too well."

_How did he do that?_

"Mama told me about a conversation you had a while back and that she had to scold you like you were a five-year-old child." He answered Danny's unasked question with a sigh. "I never thought I'd have to have this conversation with either of my sons, but especially _you_ Danny. After all the hard work you put in to get to the Air Force Academy, you've made some real bone-headed decisions since you got home."

"I know." What else could he say because his father was right.

"Well I can see that you don't need another lecture, so I won't say any more about it. Just keep in mind that there are certain things that you can't undo once you do them. Am I makin' myself clear?" He was so serious.

"Yes Sir, you are. And we won't do anything that we can't undo; you have my word on that." Danny promised and meant what he said.

"All right then." Dad nodded his approval before he pushed himself away from the counter. "Your mama doesn't know that I was goin' to stop by so we'll just keep this conversation between ourselves."

"Sure Dad." He answered as he followed his father to the front door. "I'll be over for breakfast tomorrow."

"That's fine son, your mama will like that." Dad smiled and then opened the door. "So you're all right with this now?"

Danny nodded. "It was just such a surprise."

"We know Danny, believe me." He laughed as he walked out the door and Danny watched as his father walked to his car. He raised a hand in farewell, which Dad answered before he closed the door.

He headed back into the kitchen to rinse out the bottles and cap them before he threw them away. While he did that he couldn't help but think about what Ann said when he'd called her and accused him, rightly so about making his mother's surprise pregnancy about him and how it would effect _him_.

Danny didn't want to be like some his mother would undoubtedly encounter in the next few months and look disapprovingly at her because she was going to have a baby when many women her age were already becoming grandmothers. She and Dad were bringing another life into the world and Ann was right when she said he'd been selfish and self-centered about the whole thing.

He was going to have a little baby brother or sister.

The idea was slowly beginning to grow on him even though it was going to be odd to be so much older. He'd told Ann that he was at an age where _he_ could be a father and maybe this was all meant to be, as a sort of dress rehearsal when _his_ time came to welcome a little McCawley of his own into the world.

He'd already imagined it once, when his family and the Walker's were in Tennessee for Thanksgiving. He'd gotten an unexpected glance into the future and wasn't ready for it then.

Maybe this baby was supposed to help him.


	60. Getting Ready To Tie The Knot

DANNY

He couldn't understand why women got so excited about things like weddings and maybe it was a good idea that it was _they_ that planned the special day and not the man. Men would be too practical when all women seemed to want on that day was to be Cinderella.

He was too young to remember when Ann's parent's got married, even though he _was_ a part of the wedding and only had vague memories of when Mama's friend Mrs. Dearborn got married. But in each case, he'd only been a kid and not given the responsibility of being someone's best man.

And Danny McCawley found out rather quickly that part of his responsibility meant _no_ bachelor party.

Evelyn had already made it clear to her intended and his best man that she would not tolerate any form of a bachelor party before their wedding day. She'd seen what her parents were put through when they were forced to deal with her highly inebriated brothers after a night of carousing when their friends started to get married. The spectacles were always held the night before the wedding, she never understood why and the groom, his best man and groomsmen were barely sober when he would say his "I Do's" the next morning.

Hank played up his disappointment to the hilt, even though Danny knew his friend didn't want one. As he put it, he wanted to tweak Evelyn to make her believe that he was disappointed he wouldn't be able to sow his last wild oats before making his vows to her. The truth of it was Danny, Hank's parents and several of the pilots in their squadron were going to take him out to dinner the night before the wedding.

As was tradition in the Metcalf family and he had no idea where it originated because Hank didn't even know, the morning of the wedding the groom and his father would have one stiff belt of Irish whiskey before the ceremony.

He supposed the original purpose was to calm the nerves of a nervous or reluctant groom, but knew Hank wouldn't have that problem. It made Hank's father sick the morning of his own wedding, so they had both agreed that they would water it down so it would go down smoother.

Danny wondered why they did it at all, but tradition _was_ tradition and who was he to tell his friend not to do it?

He'd already told Hank that the Metcalf's could stay at his quarters if they wanted to. Since he and Ann were going to stand up for Hank and Evelyn, it made sense that Danny stay at his parent's house the night before the ceremony. It would save a lot of time for him and Hank's parents would get to be close to their youngest child before he got married.

ANN

It was going to be small as weddings went and she was nervous.

Ann never had the responsibility of being a maid of honor before and she didn't want to let Evelyn down. It was going to be a little unconventional as weddings went, but Evelyn had gotten this idea in her head of where she wanted the ceremony to be and Ann would never dream of talking her out of it.

It seemed the more she and Hank talked about getting married at the Wheeler Chapel, the bride decided that she didn't want to have a wedding like everyone else's because she felt that she and Hank weren't like every other couple. Their courtship had been a little unusual as had their brief relationship and as she explained to Ann, she'd decided that she wanted the ceremony to reflect that, without being irreverent.

Her original idea had been to have the ceremony on the beach, but with a strong objection from Hank she needed to modify her idea. The way Evelyn described it, he didn't want to get married in a hula shirt and be dumping sand out of his shoes all day. The place she eventually settled on was the oldest hotel in Waikiki built on what once was the playground of Hawaiian royalty.

With it's grand columns and wrap around terraces Evelyn said that she knew she'd found the right place and after Ann got a look at it, couldn't imagine a more romantic place to get married. It was only after she showed Hank, Danny and Ann a spot near the beach on the hotel grounds that he agreed. "The First Lady of Waikiki" would be the gracious hostess of Hank and Evelyn's wedding day and the ceremony would be presided over by the chaplain from Wheeler.

It all seemed to be happening so fast, but not so fast that Ann felt they were rushing into anything.

She supposed that she should have felt a little envious that they were getting married, but the plain truth was she didn't. Marriage wasn't something that she was ready to consider and she believed that Danny felt the same way. Things had moved much too fast for them in the beginning of their relationship and she even thought that she'd fallen for him too fast as well.

Looking back, they hadn't really taken the time to get to know each other before their emotions got the better of them. The situation was compounded when Danny was shot down and missing for all of those weeks. When he finally did come home, their emotions got the better of them again and it was then that Ann knew things really had to slow down.

It hadn't been easy keeping her distance from him, but it was what they needed to do. She still tried to make sure that they weren't alone for any appreciable length of time because he could be very persuasive when he wanted something, as could she. She hadn't earned his affectionate nickname of 'Vixen' for letting him take the lead in _everything_.

Still, when the idea of marriage _did_ come to mind there was only one man she could think of.

HANK

She picked a nice spot to get married, he couldn't argue with that.

They were going to have a hell of a view of the beach during the ceremony, but Hank couldn't help but laugh when he realized that Ev wouldn't like it if she thought that he would be looking at the blue Pacific and not her.

But she didn't need to worry about that.

Evelyn Ahern would have his full and undivided attention when she became his wife in two weeks time and while most grooms seemed to get more nervous as the big day approached, Hank was more than a little anxious to get it over with. It seemed at times that he'd waited his whole life for her and now wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her.

He couldn't help but wonder, however if he should have waited to propose to her again after they found out she wasn't pregnant. He sometimes felt that he'd cheated her out of a real relationship because they'd gone from antagonists to lovers and because of that were engaged within weeks. But he'd promised himself that they would have that time after they got married to have as much time for themselves as she wanted before they started their family. She'd already told him that she wasn't in any particular hurry and neither was he.

All he could think about at the moment was the idea of standing under a rose covered arch in his full dress uniform standing next to the love of his life and making her his. Or as Ev would invariably correct him and say, making him hers.

In the end it didn't really matter because he knew how lucky he was to be taking this step with her.

They decided to keep the wedding small and invite their families and closest friends and those friends included the families of Dan and Ann. He had thought about including Sarah in the invitation and Ev was all for it when he asked her opinion about it but she pointed out that it might be an awkward situation for his former girlfriend.

She did, however suggest that he leave it up to Sarah to make the decision to come or not because invitations were funny things. While she might not want to come and see her former beau marry someone else, she might feel slighted that she hadn't even been asked. So Hank decided to leave that detail up to his best man and have him ask his sister if it was something she wanted to come home for.

Part of him wished that she would and let him know that his getting married to someone else was all right with her. He didn't know why it was important for him to hear that from her except that she'd been a big part of his life and what she thought still mattered.

But Ev was right and it _had_ to be up to Sarah to decide.

EVELYN

Two weeks!

How was she going to finish pulling a wedding together when she only had two weeks left?

Evelyn couldn't believe her luck when she'd discovered that the hotel where Henry's squadron party had been held at Christmastime was available for weddings. It seemed appropriate to her that since it was the very place where they'd first been together, it was the right place for them to begin their married life.

He'd just returned from Okinawa a couple of days earlier after being gone since they'd decided to get married. She was holding her breath that he wouldn't be put back on rotation before their wedding day and was now beginning to really understand why he wanted it to happen as quickly as humanly possible.

She'd found a small spot outside in the back of the hotel that faced the beach and thought it was perfect, even Henry couldn't argue with the view when he saw it. It was small as venues went but their guest list was too and would fulfill their wish for an intimate family wedding perfectly.

The reception would also be outside, near the wedding site. A large grassy area, surrounded by several trees would give the wedding party and their guests shade. Evelyn and Henry had both wanted to invite their entire families to the wedding, but it had been such short notice that it wasn't possible. As a consolation for those would wouldn't be able to fly to Hawaii, their parents were going to host a family reception at a hotel in Chicago when Henry was able to get more than a couple of days leave.

As an added bonus, the hotel had offered Evelyn a suite for their wedding night as part of the package. It would work out perfectly because truth to tell, she hadn't especially looked forward to spending her wedding night in Henry's quarters because it would be where they would be staying for awhile after they got back from their abbreviated honeymoon to Maui.

They were currently on a waiting list for housing but Henry was told it might be awhile so they would have to make due with his B O Q in the meantime, even though he would no longer be a bachelor and technically they shouldn't be living there.

Time was not on their side and it seemed that Henry was gone more and more and for longer periods. It seemed as though Evelyn would begin married life on her own.


	61. The Wedding Is A Go

The wedding was a day away and Ann didn't know who was more anxious to be married, Hank or Evelyn.

All the loose ends that had put Evelyn in a cross mood in the previous couple of days were all tied up and she began to relax, if only a little. She'd made sure that her groom and his best man had their dress uniforms back from the cleaners. She'd told Ann about a nightmare she'd had that Hank arrived for their wedding in his flight suit and even though she thought he was handsome in it, it wasn't what she wanted to see him wearing the day they got married.

Ann and Evelyn had the final fittings for their dresses that morning and the bride was admonished not to lose any more weight because it was too late to make any more alterations. Their dyed to match shoes arrived a week earlier and both had spent time trying to break them in so they would be somewhat comfortable to wear. Ann felt a little silly walking around her parent's house in a pair of dress shoes but her mother assured her that when the day of the wedding came, she would be grateful she had.

It seemed as though all she'd done since returning from visiting her grandparents, the McCawley's and Sarah was to help Evelyn put her wedding plans into motion. And because Hank was based in Okinawa for most of that time it was left to Danny when Evelyn wanted a man's opinion about something and if Ann didn't know better, he seemed to resent it.

He seemed to have something on his mind, but he wouldn't tell her what it was.

All Ann could figure was the fact that he was still grounded had a lot to do with it. She knew how badly he wanted to get back in the air and the short flights he was able to take in the old P-40 didn't seem to be enough any more. And as hard as he was working to get back into shape, his leg now fully healed, he often had to do it alone because Hank was gone more and more.

And he seemed to resent that too.

He carried the resentment with him to the final rehearsal that late afternoon and didn't seem to want to cooperate as he, Ann, Evelyn and Hank were given their instructions from the chaplain. He got stern looks from both of his parents, which he ignored and Ann could see the frustration on Hank's face as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his best friend and best man.

It wasn't like Danny to be rude and uncooperative and as soon as the chance presented itself, he left the rehearsal and disappeared. Hank didn't waste any time in following him but before he left grasped Evelyn's hand and kissed her cheek. "He's got a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Hold off the rehearsal dinner as long as you can and I'll be back as soon as possible, with him or without."

"Something is really bothering him Henry, so please don't be too rough on him. Just find out what it is and try to help." Evelyn sighed.

"Always thinking about other people, even the day before our wedding." He grinned. "That's one of the many reasons I love you."

Her face flushed at the compliment as she nudged him away. "I love you too, now go."

Ann was embarrassed, but she didn't know who she was embarrassed for more. Danny's parent's, who had to witness their oldest son behaving like a five-year-old or Evelyn and Hank. _Their_ parent's were at the rehearsal and it was the first time any of them met Danny; he didn't exactly leave them with a sterling impression.

"The last time I remember him behavin' like this was at Barbara's weddin'." She overheard Danny's father comment quietly to Mrs. McCawley. "This time though, he's too old to put over my knee and give him a dose of discipline."

"You didn't _then_, though I know you were sorely tempted. I hope Hank can find out what's bothering him because he certainly isn't talking to me." She replied with a sigh. "He's been keeping to himself too much Rafe and I'm worried."

"It might not be anythin' more then the fact he's feelin' left out honey." Ann watched as the major took his wife's hand. "He's got friends and fellow pilots puttin' themselves in harms way and he's stuck back here flyin' an old crate."

"Rafe." Her voice admonished him.

"I ain't excusin' his behavior Evelyn." He sounded defensive. "We both know this ain't usual and I'm just tryin' to figure out what's got him actin' like a jackass."

"Rafe." She admonished him again.

"Well what would you call it then?" His low voice rumbled with irritation. "We didn't raise him to behave this way and I am damn disappointed in him."

"So am I." She seemed to be reluctant to admit it as she tucked her arm through his and sighed again. "It's hard sometimes to realize that he's not my little boy any more and this isn't something as simple as sending him to his room."

Ann felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and she turned around.

"Ann, you know better than to eavesdrop on private conversations." Her mother scolded her quietly. "Ev and Rafe should be able to talk without someone listening in."

"Even if it has to do with Danny?"

"_Especially_ if it has to do with him." Mama said as she put an arm around Ann's shoulders and steered her out of earshot of the McCawley's. "They're his parents and should be able to have a discussion about their child. And being his girlfriend doesn't give you the right to listen to things not meant for you."

Ann nodded. "They're worried about him Mama."

"I know they are honey. All through the rehearsal, Dad and I saw them putting their heads together and we had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about. But that doesn't mean we're going to pry and ask them something that isn't our business."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I know you're worried about him Ann and I know you love him, but what he may need now is distance from the people he cares most for. That might be why he's behaving the way he is, because he needs time to himself to work out whatever is making him so unhappy."

"What do you think it is?" She asked.

Mama shook her head. "I'm not even going to speculate about it Ann. He went through a lot and now he has to deal with the fallout of what happened to him. You and I can't possibly understand it because we live in the safe confines of a military base. But men like your dad; Rafe and Danny have seen what horrors that war can offer and it's not something they can discuss."

"So in the meantime, he's making himself and everyone else miserable." She frowned.

Ann's mother looked surprised and more than a little disappointed. "Ann Rachel Walker, I have never known you to be so uncharitable or so unkind and I don't like it. You seem to want Danny to be the man he was before he was shot down and that just isn't possible. He lived for weeks with a shattered leg, a severe concussion and the fear that he would be caught at any time. And from what Dad told me, when Rafe found him he was delirious, dehydrated and in a lot of pain. He was also very scared."

"I know that, but he's been home for months now." Ann replied.

"Yes, he has been and I suspect that he'd rather be flying to Okinawa. We're at war again honey and he's stuck here recovering while Hank and the other pilots fly into the unknown every time they leave here. It goes against everything a pilot is trained for and prepared for to sit on the sidelines while others are left to do the job he wants to be doing."

"At least he's safe."

"But he's unhappy, honey and becoming more so the longer he's grounded. If Dad and I can see that, I'm sure that Ev and Rafe see it too." Mama concluded. "And I'm guessing that you've seen it too."

Her mother was right about that. Ann had been so sure that as Danny's leg healed his spirits would improve, but they hadn't. He was spending more and more time at the field whether he was on duty or off and he seemed to spend all of his time around the other pilots who were off rotation or the ground crews who serviced the jets.

She'd heard Dad comment to Mama a few days earlier that Danny seemed like such a lost soul. He needed to get back in the air but that was still up to the flight surgeon and what ever his reasons were, he wasn't clearing Lieutenant McCawley to fly.

"Annie, they're callin' everyone inside for supper." She heard her father call as he approached. "And seein' as how you _are_ the maid of honor, I think you better get in there."

"Did Hank talk Danny into coming back in?" She turned around at the sound of his voice and watched as Mama tucked her arm through his. "Did he find him?"

Dad nodded. "He's already inside and havin' a conversation with his parents. Rafe ain't too pleased with his behavior at the rehearsal and I'm guessin' that he and Evelyn are givin' him an earful."

"I'm not surprised." She said bluntly and for the second time that afternoon was scolded.

"Well _you_ ain't bein' too kind about this are you?" He frowned. "I'm surprised Annie; you're usually the first person to offer sympathy and a little understandin' when someone ain't doin' well." His look of disapproval caused a twinge of guilt.

"You sound just like Mama."

"So your Mama's heard a little of your tea and sympathy has she?" He asked and glanced at her mother.

"Even though she's far too old for it, I've already admonished her." Mama told him. "I was hoping it would have a more immediate effect, but I was wrong."

"Annie's had too much time on her hands this term, not bein' in school." He told her mother. "She's been gallivantin' around the country for the last couple of months and I can't see that it's done her much good."

"Dad."

The frown returned and Ann suddenly realized that she was treading on dangerous ground. "Don't 'Dad' me Ann. I thought that Mama and I lettin' you take a term off from school would do you some good, but all it seems to have done is make you selfish and self-centered."

"That's not fair! I'm not being unsympathetic but at some point Danny has to take responsibility for his actions and no one seems to be making him." She tried to defend herself.

"And you aren't helping by being so judgmental." Mama stepped in. "Think carefully about that Ann. He doesn't need a judge and jury, he needs his family and his friends to help him through this, which you seem bound and determined _not_ to do."

"I've tried to Mama, honestly I have but it seems all we do lately is walk on eggshells around each other."

"Maybe that's because you've been gone so much." Her father interjected. "He might be feelin' that you don't love him as much because he ain't a pilot right now."

"Danny." Even Mama seemed to take exception to his comment and voiced her disapproval. "That really isn't fair, even you know that."

Dad sighed and his frown deepened as he looked at Ann's mother. "You're right honey that wasn't fair. I guess some of Rafe's frustration has rubbed off onto me and I didn't realize it." He then looked at Ann. "When your mama and I got married part of our vows said somethin' about better or worse and I've always taken that to heart.

"Now you obviously ain't married, but I don't believe your relationship with Danny is a passin' thing either. So I think you should remember that for better or for worse you love that boy and as much of a horse's behind that he's bein' right now, he loves you too."

"I know." Was all she could think to say and sighed.

"Dad, Hank and Evelyn are wondering where you are." Shelby came up to them and looked a little embarrassed because she knew she'd interrupted their conversation. "Everyone is in the dining room and waiting for you, especially Ann."

"Why don't you walk with me and we'll let them know that Dad and Ann are right behind us." Mama smiled at Ann's sister and took her hand. "This is a grand hotel isn't it?"

"It sure is." Shelby nodded and as she walked with her mother, they talked about what they were looking at on their way inside.

"It's been a hell of an afternoon, hasn't it Annie?" Her father put an arm around her shoulders.

"Dad, do you think that part of the reason Danny has been such a bear lately has more to do with Hank getting married than his ability to fly?" Ann wondered.

"Do you think he resents it or that maybe he's jealous?" He answered her question with a question of his own.

"We've talked about the idea, but never actually decided to get married." She admitted as they walked toward the hotel. "The truth is, when I think about marriage the only man I see is Danny. But it doesn't mean that I'm ready to get married or even _want_ to get married, yet. I really need to finish school first."

"Yes you do and I'm glad you haven't forgotten."

She stopped. "I haven't forgotten Dad. It may end up being the one thing that slows things down enough so I can catch my breath, so to speak."

"Things _were_ movin' a little fast there for awhile. But you told me that the situation between the two of you had settled down." A look of concern crossed his face. "You two ain't been puttin' yourselves in a difficult situation again, have you?"

"No, we haven't." And they began to walk again. "I've been trying to avoid being alone with him for any length of time and because I've been helping Evelyn with her wedding plans since I got home, it means that I haven't seen much of him."

"That could be why he's been so unfriendly. He misses you and spendin' time with you."

Ann shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I shouldn't have been on the mainland for as long as I was but I wanted to see Mama's parents and the McCawley's. I wanted to see Sarah and where she lived and the base she worked at and I couldn't have done that in just a week or two."

"You don't need to be defensive about it honey." His voice was low as they walked into the hotel. "Visitin' your grandparents has been a part of your life since you were a child. This year you just made extended visits to them when you would have normally been in school."

"I did miss him, even if he thinks I didn't. But I've missed my grandparents and Sarah too. Once I'm back in school, I won't have another opportunity like this and I wanted to take it."

"Then I think you should tell him that." Dad was blunt about it. "That boy has a lot goin' on in his life right now, what with not bein' able to fly just yet and findin' out he's goin' to be a big brother again. It seems to be takin' it's toll on him."

Ann stopped again but her father urged her forward. "I thought he was all right with that. I know it really threw him when his parent's told him but I thought he'd gotten used to the idea."

"I believe he's tryin' honey, but think about how you would feel if Mama and I told you that _she_ was goin' to have another baby. It would take some gettin' used to, wouldn't it? And it wouldn't happen overnight I might add."

"I know." She admitted.

"Well then, if you know that I think it's time you show a little more understandin' than you have recently and support him. With Hank and Evelyn gettin' married tomorrow, you won't have the distraction of the weddin' and you can start spendin' more time with him."

He didn't say anything else as they walked into the room where the reception would be held after the wedding. Tables were ready to be set up for the following day and Ann could see the buffet table lined with crystal, china, linen napkins, silverware and chafing dishes. Tables would be covered and set with all the finery in the morning, before the wedding.

It all seemed to happen so fast and Ann was nearly breathless with the speed with which Hank and Evelyn made such an important and monumental decision, knowing without a doubt it was the right one.

She and Danny had skirted around the idea, but never really discussed it. Marriage was something that was for forever and while she knew she was slowly becoming an adult, she knew without a doubt that as much as she loved Danny she was not ready to get married.

He'd had his chance to earn his degree, to do something that he loved to do and Ann wanted the same chance. Her life goals had never been crystal clear as Danny's always were and she wanted the time to figure it out.


	62. The Moment of Truth

Danny said his goodbyes after the rehearsal dinner and promised Hank he would be at the hotel bright and early the following morning. At the insistence of the mothers of the bride and groom, the photographer would get all the pictures he wanted of the bridal party and the parent's before the wedding. Pictures of the newlyweds, their best man and maid of honor would have to be taken after the ceremony.

Hank told him he didn't believe in the superstition of seeing Evelyn before the wedding being bad luck and neither did she, but since they both wanted their mothers to be happy on their wedding day, they were humored.

As he walked through the hotel toward the parking garage, he couldn't help but think about events earlier and knew he had not acquitted himself very well with his family. Dad had given him an earful about his behavior and his father was right.

Hank and Evelyn didn't deserve to be on the wrong end of his sour mood and he was sorry that he'd put a damper on the rehearsal. The fact was that at the moment, he couldn't seem to help himself. He understood that he had to complete his physical therapy and get his leg back into shape before he could fly combat again, he did. It was just taking a hell of a lot longer than he'd anticipated it would and his frustration at still being grounded had begun to take it's toll.

It also didn't help matters that Annie seemed to be avoiding him, but she probably didn't want to be on the business end of his mood either. The truth was he'd missed her.

She was stateside for such a long time and when she finally _did_ come home, she was busy helping Evelyn put her wedding together. He resented the time he couldn't spend with her and the few moments they _were_ they usually weren't alone. She still avoided being alone with him for long periods of time, the last being at Christmas when she'd help decorate his tree. But even that was short lived with the appearance of Hank and Evelyn. Ann made sure of that.

She didn't trust him; that's what it boiled down to. He'd taken advantage of her twice and because of that she _had_ to think he was only after one thing. And to be perfectly honest she was right, to a certain extent.

It was the result of having too much down time on his hands and no flight training to keep his mind occupied that thoughts of making love to her became more frequent and believed that he was probably telegraphing that to her when ever they encountered each other.

He pulled out of the garage and headed back to Wheeler. He was staying with his parents that night as he'd given the keys to his quarters to Hank's parent's so they could spend the night before the wedding closer to him. He figured it was the least he could do.

He parked in front of the house and after he shut down the engine sat in the quiet of his car.

He'd always been so sure of himself and what he wanted from the time he was a kid. He laid his path in life out in front of him when he decided to be a pilot like his father and did what was necessary for that goal to become reality.

What he'd never planned on was a girlfriend and certainly not one like Caroline Harris. She'd been the polar opposite of him and if he'd not been away at school for four years, their relationship wouldn't have lasted as long as it did.

Annie on the other hand, was his complement.

Caroline had grown up in the military as he and Annie had and always resented it. They didn't know anything but the military either, but both thrived in the regimented environment. Caroline chaffed at it and couldn't wait to get away when the chance presented itself.

It didn't stop her, however from maneuvering him into situations that could have led to something he would regret, but he never cared for her so much that he would ever let her. With Ann, it seemed that he was the one maneuvering her into situations knowing that it would be difficult for her to resist him.

He continued to berate himself for allowing her into his quarters before he shipped out the first time. If he'd never known how it would feel to have her so close to him and know the feel of her soft skin against his, the thought of being even closer to her would not have materialized with such ferocity to continue to haunt his thoughts and his dreams.

He grabbed his duffle bag and got out of his car before proceeding up the front walk. He knew Mama made up his old room and after he'd walked into the house, Danny headed down the hall toward it. He always got the sense of stepping back in time whenever he opened the door because nothing ever changed and it was comforting in a way. But it conversely made him feel as though he were sixteen years old again.

After dropping the duffle just inside the bedroom door, Danny walked back up the hallway to the kitchen. He knew there would be a good chance he'd find a beer inside the refrigerator and as luck would have it, he did when he opened the door. Dad wouldn't mind if he had one, so after he pried the cap off with a nearby bottle opener he walked out to the back porch and settled on the sofa.

It was a beautiful evening, as most evenings on Oahu usually were and he watched the sky as it changed from dark blue to pink and then to orange. It looked as though the clouds were on fire; the colors were so brilliant. He'd never noticed things like that when he was flying because there wasn't any time. But it was on evenings like this, or when he was visiting his grandparents in Tennessee that it really caught his attention.

There was a gentle breeze blowing and the palm fronds rustled as the soft wind moved them. He could hear the faint sound of Hawaiian music and wondered if someone in the vicinity was having a barbeque or a luau. He put his beer down on the side table and stretched out on the sofa. It was the most relaxed he'd felt in a long time and he wanted to savor it.

He wasn't sure how long he slept before he became aware of someone else on the porch with him and when he opened his eyes, wasn't particularly surprised to see Ann leaning on the rail across from him. She looked like a woman with something on her mind and he figured that she wanted to get in a few choice words of her own about the rehearsal.

"It's been awhile since you've been back here." Danny commented as he sat up. "You've been avoiding me like the plague it seems."

"You behaved like a Class A jackass earlier." Her voice was calm. "Hank and Evelyn deserved better than to have a petulant child standing up for them at their rehearsal."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I've already heard it from Hank and my parent's; do I really need to hear this from you?"

"It seems to me that you do." The irritation was evident in her tone. "You've obviously got something on your mind that you won't talk to your parents or Hank or me about and that's fine. You don't have to tell us everything or anything for that matter. But when _your_ sour mood puts a damper on what should have been the start of something memorable for Hank and Evelyn, you need to know that I didn't appreciate it.

"We've been working really hard for the last few weeks to make sure the wedding goes as planned and Evelyn's had to make decisions when Hank wasn't here. She's had to rely on you, which for some reason took exception to and decided to take it out on her tonight."

Danny stood up and approached her. "That's not fair! I didn't set out to be such a jerk tonight and yes, I know I was. And I sure as hell didn't need Hank or my parent's or _you_ to tell me that. You have no idea what I'm going through right now because you haven't bothered to ask.

"You were gone longer than I would have liked and when you finally _did_ come home, I didn't get to see a lot of you because of this damn wedding! I've really missed you and you don't seem to have missed me at all."

His words seemed to surprise her and mentally kicked himself when he saw her eyes fill with tears. "Now _you're_ not being fair. I've missed you more than you know, _especially_ since I've been home because as much as I've wanted to see you my first obligation has been to Evelyn. It wouldn't be right or fair of me to let her try and handle this whole thing on her own. There's just too much for one person to do alone and if you'd been a little more cooperative with her, you might have realized that."

Danny backed away from Ann and sat back down on the sofa. "It must be nice to be so sure of what you want and just do it. It's been five months since they were together and they're getting married tomorrow."

"At one time _you_ were sure about what you wanted Danny." She sighed as sat down next to him and took his hand.

"I still am, but there's a little matter of my having been shot down." He pulled his hand out of her grasp. "Or have you forgotten that?"

"How can I when you won't let me forget it? You're leg is healed and you're getting your strength back. It's just a matter of time before your doctor releases you to fly again."

"And just when the hell is that going to be?" He stood up again and walked to the rail before he turned and faced her. "What the hell else do I have to do before I can get back in a damn plane?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe he won't release you because he doesn't feel you're mentally ready?" She replied quietly. "You went through an ordeal that I'll never understand, but _he_ might more than you realize."

"So you think I've lost my marbles." He shot back.

"Oh honestly Danny, I didn't say any such thing." He could hear the exasperation in her voice as she stood up. "And it seems pointless to try and talk to you any more because all you seem to want to do is argue."

"I don't want to argue." He replied as he grabbed her wrists to pull her to him and a look of panic crossed her face just before he leaned in and kissed her.

It wasn't that she didn't want him to kiss her, but just not like this. He wasn't kissing her because he wanted to show how much he cared for her; he was kissing her to shut her up. Ann hit a nerve, of that she had no doubt and he was reacting as someone who didn't want to remotely consider the possibility that being shot down affected him more than he would ever admit.

Even knowing that, she wanted nothing more than to put her arms around his neck and kiss him back but she'd be responding for different reasons. He hadn't even bothered to put his arms around her so she pushed him away and stepped back.

She felt the warmth of a flush on her face and he mistook it because he stepped toward her again. "No Danny, not like this."

"Like what? I love you and you love me." He looked confused. "I just want to show you how much."

"If I believed that's all it was, I would have kissed you back. But you're trying to stop a conversation you don't want to have by distracting me and it won't work." She stood her ground.

"Then maybe I'm not trying hard enough." He answered as she found her self pinned between him and the wall. He got his arms around her and as he pulled her against him it didn't take her long to realize where his thoughts were headed because his body revealed it in spades.

She'd left her hands on his shoulders because they had no where else to go that wouldn't encourage him but once she felt what his body had in mind she shoved him away and slapped him with all the force she could muster.

Her entire body was shaking as her knees went wobbly, but she willed herself to stand where she was. "You tell me that you love me but you're behavior tells me something different. I made it clear as crystal that I didn't want you to do that and you went ahead and did it anyway. I know that part of this is my fault because I let you take liberties in the beginning that I shouldn't have. _I_ also took liberties with _you _that I knew I shouldn't but I wanted to be close to you.

"I do love you Danny, but it seems that our whole relationship has been based on how far we'll allow the other to go before we put a stop to it. We've never been together when it hasn't ended up withus in a situation where we end up frustrated and I don't know how to fix it."

What came next absolutely floored her.

"You can fix it by marrying me. If you did we wouldn't be frustrated anymore because we could actually make love." He sounded so reasonable as he put a hand in his front pocket and pulled something out. He held it up and it took her a moment not only to realize that he'd just proposed, but that he was presenting her with a ring.

"How is this supposed to fix anything?" Ann knew she should have felt something other than deep disappointment at a proposal from the man she loved, but could not. "If I _were_ to accept your proposal and your ring, how could I ever be sure that it wasn't because you only wanted me in your bed? How could I ever believe that it was because you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Ann." He looked absolutely deflated and guessed that she wasn't far from wrong.

"At least tell me that you want to spend the rest of your life with me, eventually." She pressed.

"You want to spend the rest of your life with a gimpy pilot?" He asked her with a frown and backed away as he shoved the ring back in his pocket and her heart sank.

"Don't answer my question with another question Daniel McCawley."

"I just tried to give you a ring, what do you think?" His tone was defensive and she suddenly got the sickening feeling they'd come to the end of the road.

"I think that you tried to give it to me for all the wrong reasons." She told him. "After what just happened, you try to smooth it over with a ring and a declaration that should have been a proposal."

"I can't think about a lifetime right now, not until I get back in the air." He finally admitted. "I thought if I gave you the ring now, you'd wait for me."

Ann started to cry and didn't bother to hide it from him. "I would have waited without a ring and you should never have doubted that. All you've done is reinforce something that I didn't want to consider; that as much as you love me you _want_ me even more. It may not have started out that way, but it's ended up that way. And if our relationship has come to that, then it's not much of a relationship is it?"

"So what are you saying?" He seemed to sense what she'd already discovered and waited for her to say it.

"I'm saying that you need to concentrate on getting your life back on track and getting back in the air. I've been a distraction and I can't help but feel somewhat responsible for your not flying yet. The only solution I can think of to remedy this is to let you go." It gutted her to say that, but she knew it was the best course for the both of them.

Besides, she needed to go back to college and continue her education. She'd promised her parents that she'd only be out of school for the term so once the wedding was over, she needed to make her plans for the new school year.

"It's not about sex." He said weakly.

"I wish I could believe you, but after what happened here I can't." She sighed and walked to the door.

"What can I do to prove you wrong?"

"Love me enough to let me go."

"What if I don't want to?"

She looked him in the eye. "Then you don't love me like I thought you did."

Ann walked into the McCawley's house and left Danny on the porch. It wasn't something she'd remotely contemplated when she'd come to scold him, but he'd left her no choice. She wasn't going to give herself to him when she wasn't sure anymore that it's all he wanted in the first place.

She pushed on the front screen door and headed down the walk with the intention of going home, but she suddenly wanted to be near the water. As she stepped off the walk she heard her father call her and when she kept walking he yelled; something he rarely did.

"I asked you why you were at the McCawley's, young lady." He fumed.

Ann stopped for just a moment to face her irritated father. "I just broke up with Danny." She answered him and before he could say anything she turned back around and took off at a run, leaving her family behind.

She'd have to explain it all when she got back to the house, but not now.


	63. Ann's Fork In The Road

It was a bad night for a case of insomnia but Ann found herself unable to sleep.

So much happened in such a short period of time and she couldn't sort it all out, except for one thing. She'd broken up with Danny and in the morning, she would have to stand with him as Hank and Evelyn made their vows to each other.

If there were any way she could get out of the wedding she would do it in a heartbeat, but it wouldn't be fair to her friends that she bail out on them because her love life had gone south.

What she still couldn't figure out was how she could have misjudged him so badly. Or had the trauma of being shot down changed him so much that he would never be the man he once was? She'd never really know because he never talked to her about what happened. He seemed to be content to come to her for some affection, but when it came to including her in his world of flying he seemed content to shut her out.

Maybe it was that he wanted to protect her, but she _was_ the daughter of a veteran combat pilot. And while Dad might not have given Mama details about a mission, he never shut her out.

Ann finally gave up trying to rest and got out of bed.

After cinching the belt of the robe around her waist, she walked down the hall to the kitchen. She decided to make herself some hot cocoa in the hopes that it would relax her enough so that she would be able to get _some _sleep. It was going to be a long day and she wanted to be at her best to help Evelyn.

As quietly as she could, Ann found a small pot and put it on the stove. She pulled a mug out of the cabinet and got the milk out of the refrigerator. She filled the mug and poured the milk into the pot and turned on the heat.

After putting the milk away, she found the cocoa in another cabinet and spooned some into the mug. She sat down at the kitchen table and while she waited for the milk to heat the enormity of what happened after the rehearsal hit her like a broadside. Her eyes began to sting as she felt the force of tears build behind her eyes and it seemed the harder she tried to stop them from coming, they seemed more determined overwhelm her.

When they did, all she could do was ride the wave of grief she'd kept tightly bottled up after she'd come back from the beach. Ann had done the right thing, she had no doubt about it but it didn't mean that she didn't love him anymore and that was the part that hurt.

Ann wasn't aware her mother was there until she felt the gentle touch of Mama's hand brush the hair out of her eyes. "It's all right honey. Dad and I are here."

"You two go back to bed now." She heard the firm voice of her father. "Annie doesn't need an audience and you've got a weddin' to go to tomorrow too, so scoot."

"Yes sir." Her sister sighed and Ann sensed more than anything that she and Tom had gone back to their rooms.

She was in her mother's arms, who continued to stroke her hair and felt Dad's hand on her shoulder. "Rafe told us what happened. But even he doesn't know exactly why because Danny wouldn't tell him."

"He proposed, if you could even call it that." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "But it was for all the wrong reasons."

"I don't need to ask if you turned him down, then." Mama's voice was gentle.

Ann shook her head. "I couldn't accept, not like that."

"Like what honey?" Dad asked and she wondered how to explain it to her father without the outcome being his going over to the McCawley's and laying out his godson. And he'd do it, too if he thought Danny had tried to force anything.

"He's depressed and frustrated and seems to think that marrying me is the answer." She finally said and turned to face him. "And as much as I do love Danny, I'm not ready to get married and I don't believe he is either. He needs to get back in the air before he does anything else."

"Ev's afraid that his depression might be getting the better of him." Mama commented as she handed Ann a handkerchief. "He's always been a serious boy, but this is different."

"Rafe says you told Danny that you think he needs some help." Dad nodded in response to her and sounded as though he were choosing his words carefully as he looked back to Ann. "Is that what you think?"

She dabbed at her damp eyes and her nose. "What I told him was that the doctor might not be releasing him to fly because he feels that Danny isn't mentally ready. He never did tell me anything about what happened and I never expected to get a full report, but if I'd had some idea of what happened to him I might have been able to help him in some way."

"Annie, I don't know that anyone can help him right now." Her father conceded. "He's got a case of the glooms real bad and there ain't nothin' any of us can do. And with a new baby comin', Evelyn doesn't need to be dealin' with that."

"Dad, do you think he'll fly again?"

"He's been through a hell of an ordeal honey and it seems to me that it's past time he talks to _someone_ about it. Someone who's been through it themselves and can understand what it is he's feelin'." Dad told her with a shrug of his shoulders. "That could be why the doctor won't release him."

"So why hasn't he just come out and told Danny that? It might give him the incentive to try." Ann asked.

"We don't know that the doctor _didn't_ tell him that Annie." He reasoned. "All _you_ know or his folks know is what Danny's told you. That might have been one of the conditions from the beginnin' and if he wasn't ready to talk about what happened, then he knew what the consequences were."

"Shouldn't that have been enough, then?" Ann was confused because all Danny talked about was getting back in the air.

"Honey, that's why he should talk to someone. If I understand what your dad is trying to say, Danny might be subconsciously delaying his being activated because he's afraid of being shot down again." Mama suggested. "It's a perfectly natural response in my mind, especially because he wasn't found right away. He was injured and alone and might very well have believed that he wasn't coming home alive."

"And you're probably one of the things that kept him goin'. " Dad added. "When Rafe was with the Eagle Squadron and got shot down, he told me that it was thinkin' about Evelyn that kept him alive and gave him the strength to survive. That's a powerful force on a man in trouble, when he can think of the woman he loves and those thoughts end up bringin' him home."

"But it doesn't seem to have helped him since he's been home." Ann sighed. "It felt sometimes that he was using his feelings for me as an excuse to not get better."

"I'm not sure I understand." Her mother's brow was furrowed with a slight frown.

"I'm not sure I can explain because it was more a feeling than anything else." She continued. "He always seemed to find excuses not to complete his exercises or go on a run with Hank because he wanted to be with me. He would never go into detail about his physical therapy and there were times that he didn't seem to be getting any better even though he said he was trying."

It was her father's turn to sigh. "It _would_ explain why it's taken so long for him to recuperate. Not that you ain't a good reason honey." And he smiled at her. "But you understand what I'm sayin'."

"I understand. And it might explain why, even though he said he was unhappy only being able to fly the old P-40 that he didn't seem to be doing everything he could to get back into his own plane."

"Danny, do you suppose Rafe could talk to him?" Mama asked. "He _has_ been through something like this, twice."

Dad shook his head and to Ann it seems a little reluctant. "I don't know that he _would_, honey. It's true that he and Danny share that fate, but Rafe wasn't missin' for weeks and havin' to survive on his wits. He was damn lucky to have been found within hours of his plane goin' down in England and _I_ was with him the second time and could report it.

"No, as much as Rafe knows how it feels to be shot down and survive, even he can't know what it is that Danny had to go through. That's why I think that he needs to talk to someone who's been through a similar experience who can help him get his nerve and his confidence back."

"Do you think he can?" Her mother wondered.

"Danny's the only one who can answer that Sandra." He told her.

"That's one of the reasons I had to break things off with him." Ann said to her parents. "He needs to concentrate on getting back to what he was trained to do and a girlfriend at this point is only a distraction."

"That's why you've been lookin' at transferrin' to Ohio State University, isn't it?" Dad asked. "You haven't said as much, but Mama and I noticed the envelopes that have been comin' for you and we figured that you might be goin' stateside to finish school."

"I've been giving this a lot of thought and I talked to Granddad and Gram about it the last time I called them. They said if I decided to do it, then I could live with them if I wanted to so you and Mama wouldn't have to worry about paying for a room in a dormitory. I'd also be a lot closer to the McCawley's and I'd be able to see them too."

"Have you made a final decision?" Her mother asked as she tucked a loose lock of hair behind Ann's ear.

"The final decision is in the hands of O S U, but my counselor at Hawaii thinks I have a good chance. My first term grades aren't going to help me much, but she seems to think that they'll give greater weight to my grades from Pearl High. I never had less than a B average and my extra-curricular activities are going to help me a lot, too." She informed them.

"I haven't been trying to keep any of this from you because even if I'd been accepted I wasn't sure that I was going to go." Ann continued. "I didn't want to be that far away from you or from Danny, but I'm beginning to think that it's just the thing for me to do now. I've never lived anywhere else but here and didn't particularly want to, but Danny did for four years and Sarah is doing it now. So maybe it's my turn to experience something new and get the chance to spend time with my grandparents."

The kitchen was quiet for a long moment before Mama spoke up. "I think if this is something that you've put some good thought into and weighed all your options, then you should go."

"It goes without sayin' that Mama, Shelby, Tom and I will sure miss you but this sounds like a real good opportunity. Even if it takes you a few thousand miles away."

"Dad."

"Danny." Ann and her mother admonished him simultaneously. "That's quite enough of that."

He grinned at them and then he laughed. "I'm just teasin' the girl Sandra. Annie knows that I support whatever decision she makes and I'll back her up the whole way. Even if it takes her a few thousand miles away."

They laughed together at Dad's joke and Ann felt better than she had in a long time. A weight that settled on her chest after Danny was shot down never seemed to lift, even after he got home and for the first time in months the weight was gone and she knew what she was about to do was the right thing.

What it meant for she and Danny, Ann had no clue. But what she also knew was that she needed to concentrate on school again and Danny needed to concentrate on flying and nothing else, especially not her.

"You look much better than you did when we came in here." Mama kissed her cheek. "You look as though the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders."

"It feels that way Mama and it feels nice." She admitted.

"Will you get through the weddin' all right?" Her father looked concerned.

"I'll be fine Dad, I just hope Danny will. The way he was going earlier this evening, he might have a bad hangover in the morning."

He shook his head. "I sure hope that boy has more consideration for Hank and Evelyn than gettin' tanked up the night before their weddin'. That would be the icin' on the cake of this whole thing, wouldn't it?"

Mama put her arm around Ann's shoulders. "I don't think he'll do something as thoughtless as that Danny. He may be feeling pretty low right now, but I'm sure he'll remember how important tomorrow is to his best friend and his fiancee and act accordingly."

"I hope you're right honey." He ran a hand through his hair and tried to stifle a yawn as he stood up. "And speakin' of weddin's, we've all got to be at one tomorrow and it's gettin' later by the second. So why don't we wrap this whole thing up and get another cup of cocoa for Annie so she can get back to bed."

"I'll do that for her Danny so why don't you go ahead; I won't be long."

"All right." She saw a look in his eyes as he smiled at her mother and Ann tried not to smile herself. "Good night honey. Try to get some sleep now." Dad leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you in the mornin'."

"Good night Dad. Thanks for listening." She smiled at him.

"That's what a daddy's for Annie." And he walked out of the kitchen, leaving Ann and her mother alone.

"Dad sure loves you." She watched him as he walked down the hallway.

"And I love him too, more every year we're married." Her mother answered as she stood up. "When you find the right man and wait for the right time to get married, the rest just seems to fall into place."

"Do you think Danny is still the right man?"

"I never told you that he _was_, honey." Her mother said. "You're still so young and he's the only serious relationship you've ever had. He _may_ end up being the right man but if you do decide to go back to Ohio for school and meet someone, with Danny out of the picture you won't have the worry of knowing there's someone back home that might stop you from caring for that person."

"I can't imagine caring for any one as much as I do Danny." Ann admitted with a sigh.

"Each love is different Ann because each experience is different. That's why I'm so proud of you and your decision to consider living somewhere else for a little while." She smiled as she turned the heat back on under the pot. "If you see this through you'll get to meet new people and experience new things, things that you couldn't have if you were to stay here."

It was an odd idea, leaving Oahu. But Ann knew now that if she didn't she would never really know if Danny was truly the man for her, or possibly not meeting someone that she was meant to be with instead. What it all boiled down to was that their lives had begun to take different paths and neither could see it coming, or perhaps they didn't want to.

Danny needed to become a pilot again and she needed to go back to school. Neither could do what they needed to do if she stayed and she knew that now.

Ann Walker was leaving Hawaii.


	64. I Do's And Goodbyes

Hello everyone.

I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted. I did not abandon Danny and Ann, but it's been a struggle to figure out where to take this story. After another trip to Oahu at the end of October, it gave me inspiration to keep coming back and finish this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

He finally pushed her away and it was his own damn fault.

How many times had she asked him not to press things and he pressed anyway, knowing that he would weaken her defenses and she would respond to his kisses and caresses? What in the hell did that say about him? Was Ann right in her assessment that all he wanted from her was _her_? Had it really come down to it becoming a challenge for him of talking her into his bed or did he really love her as he claimed to?

So much had changed in his life since he'd been brought home on a hospital ship and it didn't seem to be for the better. He thought he'd gotten a handle on things after Ann helped him with his sponge bath that late afternoon when things got so out of hand, but looking back all it seemed to do was make him want her even more. Especially because she was putting herself out of his reach and that made her more desirable.

Ann _was _right about him and he'd lost her.

He needed to apologize to her for his behavior from the previous evening but he wouldn't try to talk her into reconciling because he knew now that she needed to go her own way for awhile and he needed to concentrate on his career, or what was left of it.

It was all for the best.

His father roused him out of bed early the morning of the wedding when all Danny wanted to do was pull the blankets over his head and go back to sleep. But as Dad told him, if his mother was out of bed because of morning sickness there wasn't any reason he should get to sleep later than she because he'd had too much to drink.

When he refused to budge, Danny was threatened with being put in a cold shower. Knowing his father would make good on it, he found the energy to throw back the blankets and get his feet over the side of the bed. He sat in a bright sunlit room, his father made sure all the blinds were open and realized that he was being punished for his overindulgence.

He deserved it though and knew it.

"Can I trust you to get out of that bed and into the shower if I leave you here?" Dad looked really annoyed with his arms folded across his chest. "I won't come back and find you sleepin ', will I?"

"You won't find me sleeping." He sighed and ran a shaky hand through his freshly cut hair. It had gotten a little longer than military regulation made allowances for but he'd been stubborn about getting it trimmed. He wasn't so stubborn that he would embarrass Hank though and had gone to the base barbershop before the rehearsal.

"I don't know what's happened to you boy." His father sighed. "I've never seen you so unfocused, so unsettled."

"I came home from my last mission on a hospital ship, Dad. How focused would you be?" Danny shot back at him. "My whole damn career as a pilot could be over and there is nothing else that I've ever wanted to do."

"Daniel." Dad's voice quavered with controlled anger. "You have been usin' that chestnut as an excuse for your behavior toward your mother, toward me and especially Ann since you got home. She's stood by you all of this time tryin' to help and you've treated her as nothing more than a plaything."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Danny jumped up from the bed to stand toe to toe with his father. "I've never put her in a situation that we couldn't back away from."

"The point is that you put her in those situations in the first place." His father poked a finger into his chest. "If you loved her the way you say you do, you would never have allowed her into your quarters in the first place, let alone your bed."

How in the hell could he know about that? Ann wouldn't have told anyone and Hank wouldn't have said anything either.

"Are you tellin' me that it's true then?" The sound in his voice told Danny that his father didn't want to believe it.

"How do you know about that?" He could almost feel the blood draining from his face as he saw his father's reaction.

"Oh my God, it _is_ true." Dad sat down on Danny's old desk chair and looked absolutely deflated. "I never would have believed that a son of mine would treat a young lady that way."

"We didn't intend for it to happen, it just happened." He tried to explain. "But we didn't go through with anything."

"Your mother tried to tell me you'd taken some serious liberties with Ann but I didn't want to believe her. I just didn't want to believe that you could do somethin' like that." He sighed. "We didn't raise you and your brother that way."

"I know."

"From your reaction, I'm guessin' that there have been other times when you weren't behavin' the way you should."

"No, Sir."

Dad stood up and Danny stepped back reflexively. "She did the right thing then. Ann is a young girl and not real experienced when it comes to boys and you should have remembered that. It was your job, bein' older to be the more responsible one and look after her, not taken advantage of her."

"I know that too."

"Then I don't need to say anythin' else, do I? Go take your shower now, I need to check on your mother to see how she's feelin'. It's been a long time since she's had mornin' sickness and it's been hard on her." And he walked out of the room.

Danny glanced at his dress uniform hanging on the back of his closet door and sighed as he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Two hours later, he was standing with Hank in front of a full-length mirror to help him with the tie of his dress uniform. The room his brother and sister-in-law were staying in was alive with activity. Hank's parents were coming and going and his three brothers were good-naturedly trying to get him away from the mirror so that they could check their own reflections.

While he and Evelyn decided they only wanted a best man and maid of honor, Hank still wanted his whole family involved in his wedding and had asked his brothers to be ushers. And in keeping with Evelyn's wishes, they were in casual pants, loafers and hula shirts.

"I don't know what that lovely girl sees in you Hank." Anthony Metcalf grinned at his brother. "It must be the uniform."

"Why do you think he went into the service, bonehead?" Joseph Metcalf answered. "No girl in the state of Illinois would give him the time of day when he was wearing civvies."

"No girl in the state of Illinois will give _you_ the time of day either, smart-ass." Matthew Metcalf punched Joe in the arm. "That's why you aren't married."

"I don't see a wedding ring on _your_ finger, so I wouldn't be calling anyone a smart-ass if I were you." Matt shot back. "Tony's only married because he _had_ to get married."

Danny and Hank smiled at each other as the groom's brothers continued to needle each other.

"Amy and I didn't _have_ to get married; we just had to move the wedding up a couple of months." He admitted and his face flushed. "And don't tell me that you don't have the prettiest niece in Oak Park."

Joe laughed and ruffled his brother's freshly brushed hair. "That's only because she looks like Amy."

"Thank God for that." Matt added as Tony grabbed a hairbrush off the dresser and ran it through his hair.

"I do every day, believe me." He grinned. "And we're hoping that our second looks like her too."

The laughing stopped as Hank, Joe and Matt looked at their oldest brother. "Your second?" Hank asked as a smile grew on his face.

"Consider it a wedding present, baby brother. You and Evelyn are going to be an uncle and aunt in about six months." Tony smiled at him and Danny could see a man who was deeply in love with his wife and content with being a father.

"Have you told Mom and Dad yet?" Matt asked.

"Of course we have. You didn't think I'd tell you knot heads before I told them, did you?"

"If you boys don't get a move on, Hank's lovely bride is going to start wondering where all of you are." A young woman walked into the room holding a fussy child. Danny could only assume that she was Hank's sister-in-law. "Tony would you take Lily for me? She needs her daddy to calm her down."

"Sure honey." He smiled as he took his daughter out of her mother's arms. "But if she spits up on my hula shirt before the wedding, we're going to have a talk."

"You big baby, I haven't forgotten about that." She rolled her eyes dramatically as she pulled a clean diaper out of an open suitcase on the queen-sized bed and slung it over his shoulder. "This should protect that nice shirt."

"What about the man _in_ the shirt?" He feigned a hurt expression.

"He's not important because he's not the one getting married, but I love him anyway." Amy Metcalf smiled just before she kissed her husband full on the mouth in front of his brother's and the best man. "I'll come and get her before you have to start ushering the families to their seats."

"You look beautiful." The bemused young husband smiled at his wife as he rocked their daughter in his arms.

"As I recall, that's the last thing I remember you saying to me before we did something that pushed our wedding date up." She smiled back and Danny could see a light flush spread across her cheeks.

"I'm not sorry." He said and kissed the downy head of his little girl.

"Neither am I." She admitted before she turned on her heel and walked out of the hotel room.

"Man I'm lucky." Tony said to no one in particular as his eyes followed his wife. "Not only did I marry a beautiful woman, but she also gave me a beautiful daughter as a bonus."

"Spoken like a newlywed." Joe clapped his brother on the shoulder and grinned. "It really makes me want to be ill."

"You're just jealous because you don't have a girl as pretty as Amy or Evelyn." Matt reminded him.

"Says the guy who doesn't even have a girlfriend." Joe punched him in the arm in answer. "You can't get a girl if you don't get in the game."

"If the Sun-Times sends me to Vietnam then the last thing I need is a girl. Or haven't you heard that being a newspaper photographer can be hazardous to your health these days?" He was serious for a moment and then seemed to recover his good spirits. "But then being the brother of the groom can be too. Just promise me Hank, that you won't throw the damn garter my way."

"Hanky, I think Matty has just thrown down the gauntlet of challenge." Joe laughed. "Are you going to let him get away with that?"

_Hanky? _Danny tried to keep a straight face.

"Relax, Joey." Hank told him with a shake of his head. "Evelyn has already informed me that she has no intention of participating in what she refers to as a sexist ritual, so the odds are you won't have to worry about dodging a garter."

"Thank God. I'm safe for another wedding." He made a dramatic motion of wiping his brow just as Hank's parents walked in.

"Son, Ann Walker tells me that Evelyn's just about ready to go. So if you're ready, let's get you downstairs." Mr. Metcalf told him and Danny could see a suspicious mistiness in his eyes.

Hank glanced at his brothers, his mother and then at Danny. "I feel like I've waited my whole life for her."

"It's worth the wait baby brother, trust me on this." Tony put a hand on his shoulder. "When you meet the right girl and wait for the right time to get married, everything else just seems to fall into place."

Joe and Matt let out exaggerated coughs.

"That's enough out of you two." Mrs. Metcalf scolded them and it seemed to Danny that she was trying to stifle a laugh. "Your brother and Amy are married, so I don't want any more joking about that."

"Yes, Ma'am." They both looked suitably chastised until their parents walked out of the room and the two brothers grinned at each other.

"Just for that, you jokers can take turns holding your niece for awhile." Tony chuckled as he handed his daughter over to Joe and draped the diaper over his shoulder. "And if she needs to be changed, flip a coin." He then looked at Danny and smiled. "If it's all right with you, I'd like to walk my little brother downstairs."

"Sure thing." Danny smiled back and clapped Hank on the shoulder. "I'll see you down there."

"Talk to her will you?" Was all he said and Danny could see the curiosity on the faces of his best friends brothers. "Try to set things right before Ev and I get married."

"I'll do what I can." He promised and walked out the door. When it closed behind him he understood for the first time why his friend was the way he was. There was genuine affection between the brothers, but there was also a keen sense of competition. They had all taken their own paths, but it didn't stop them from trying to one-up the other whenever they got the chance.

He was so deep in thought that he nearly walked into Ann as she came out of the room Hank and Evelyn would be staying in for their wedding night. Danny didn't know how he managed it, but Hank had gotten the same room he'd been in the night of the squadron Christmas party.

The look on her face was wary as Danny backed away from her. "I'm sorry Ann I didn't see you."

"You seemed pretty deep in thought." She conceded and looked as though she wanted to say something else.

"It's hard to believe that Hank is actually getting married." He admitted. "He always struck me as the kind of guy who was perfectly happy being a bachelor."

"Evelyn changed that, didn't she?"

Danny nodded. "She certainly did."

Ann's face flushed. "Well, I need to get downstairs. Mrs. Ahern tried to call and let the chaplain know that Evelyn's nearly ready but she can't get through to anyone."

He touched her arm and she seemed to reflexively pull away. "Let me do that, it's the least I can do." He offered.

"Thank you, but this is something I'd like to do. It'll get me out of that room for a little while." She sighed. "I'm not exactly in the frame of mind to be a maid of honor this afternoon."

"That's my fault." Danny conceded.

"Yes it is." Ann wasn't about to give him any quarter. "I've been looking forward to this day for months because I know how much they love each other. But after last night if there were any way that I could have gotten out of doing this without hurting them, I would have."

"I wish I'd handled things better than I did. I put you in a position I shouldn't have and you deserved a real proposal. I'm really sorry."

"I know you are." She told him but her stance didn't soften. "And you're always sorry when you've put me in a position that you knew you oughtn't to have and did anyway."

He could feel a wave of irritation wash over him. "I'm not completely to blame Ann."

"I know you're not and I told you that last night." She sighed again. "I encouraged some of it and that's something that I'll have to live with. But it's done and can't be changed."

"I miss you already." The words came out before he had the chance to think about them.

It seemed to be the last thing she wanted to hear. The frown on her face deepened before she turned her back on him without another word and walked to the elevator. Luck was with her because the door was open as she reached the elevator and got on without a backward glance. So much for setting things right.

The door to Tony and Amy's room opened and the Metcalf brothers headed in a rush toward the open elevator. "Hold the door please." Tony called out and Danny saw Ann's slender fingers curl around the open door, keeping it from closing. When Hank reached the open car and it registered who was waiting inside, he glanced back at Danny who shook his head. Hank's shoulders slumped a bit and sighed as he stepped in. Ann's fingers uncurled and as the doors slid closed he could hear the brothers talking to her.

Danny watched them close and suddenly wished that he could rewind the last twenty-four hours and do them over again. At the very least, he wouldn't have proposed; he'd done it for all the wrong reasons and she saw through it.

He walked to the elevator that she'd just taken and pushed the call button so he could go downstairs.

When he reached the lobby, Tony was holding his daughter in one arm as his wife had a hold of his other. As he was walking them to their seats Danny noticed that the brothers all had fresh leis around their necks. After she'd sat down, Tony handed the baby to Amy and kissed her. As he walked back up the aisle, Joe was walking Danny's mother to her seat with his brother and his father, in his dress uniform behind them.

He hadn't had another chance to talk to his father since that morning but it was probably just as well. He was pretty steamed and Danny didn't blame him. As she sat down, Danny noticed his mother's pale complexion, which was in stark contrast to the perpetually light tan that always seemed to be there. He couldn't begin to imagine what she was going through.

As Joe came back up the aisle, Matt was walking Ann's mother and Tony escorted Shelby to their seats with Major Walker also in his dress uniform, following behind. The plan had been that Danny's parents and Ann's parents would be the last seated before Hank's father walked Hank's mother down the aisle and Evelyn's father escorted Evelyn's mother down the aisle.

He suddenly realized that Hank was beside him and Danny could sense his nervous energy. "It's almost time Henry, so hang in there."

"I'll be a hell of a lot happier in about ten minutes when this is all over." He admitted. "So did you get a chance to talk to her?"

Danny looked at his best friend and didn't want to tarnish what should have been a carefree day. "We can talk about it later."

"Just answer the damn question, will you?" Hank asked.

"We talked a little, she's still mad and I don't blame her." Danny was succinct.

"You're a real idiot you know that." He stated. "You took something that should have been memorable and romantic for the both of you and wasted it. I'm surprised that she didn't slap you for that."

Danny felt his face warm in embarrassment. "She did."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Hank frowned at him. "If I'd been within earshot of what happened, I would have punched your lights out."

"You and my dad both." He admitted. "He was pretty upset with me earlier and with Mama's morning sickness worrying him, it sure as hell didn't help."

Hank's frown became a look of concern. "Dan, your mother didn't need to come today. Ev and I would have understood if she weren't feeling well enough."

Danny shook his head. "Mama wouldn't have missed this for the world. She's always thought a lot of you and even though she was disappointed that you and Sarah broke up, she could see how happy Evelyn made you. She was really touched when you invited my family."

"I like your mother. She was one of the first people at Wheeler to welcome me here when it wasn't a part of orientation. She made sure that I knew how to get around the base, where the P X was and where your parents lived. It seemed important to her that I feel a part of this base and a part of your family."

"You were a part of Sarah's life at the time and she wanted you to know how much that meant to her." He explained.

"Have you heard from her recently?" Hank asked and Danny could see his eyes darting back and forth, presumably looking for the chaplain who hadn't arrived yet.

"I talked to her a couple of days ago and she was wondering if you and Evelyn got her card. You know that she decided not to come because she's not ready."

He nodded. "I didn't really believe that she would come home for this but I wanted to at least extend the invitation. As far as the card is concerned, Ev got it and she appreciated it a lot."

"I'll tell her."

"Thanks." He smiled before he looked at his watch and the smile became a frown. "Where's that damn chaplain?"

"I'm right here son." A firm voice behind them seemed to come out of nowhere and Hank had the grace to flush. "I was just upstairs talking to your lovely bride. She's on her way down, so let's get this show on the road so I can marry the two of you."

"Thank you sir." He said in way of apology.

The chaplain was not as old as Danny thought he would be. He looked to be in his late forties, with streaks of gray at his temples and had the bearing of a career officer. He'd probably seen some kind of action during the Second World War and possibly Korea. There was a look in his eyes, which hinted at that.

"Follow me Lieutenant." He smiled at Hank and gave him a pat on the back before he walked down the aisle toward an arch that was woven through with every native flower that Evelyn could find. She'd fallen in love with Oahu and wanted elements of Hawaii incorporated into their wedding. Hank had joked with Danny at one point that she loved the Islands more than she loved him. He knew it wasn't true, but Hank loved to tease her about it.

Once they had taken their positions, a young woman approached them with three leis hanging from her arm. She took one of them and put it around the chaplain's neck and then did the same for Danny. The third was longer than the other two and it was placed around Hank's neck and she gave him a kiss on each cheek. "A gift from your bride." The young woman told him with a smile as she turned and walked up the aisle and disappeared.

He watched Hank and Evelyn's parents gather together as they got ready to take their own walk down the aisle. He saw the same woman who'd given leis to the chaplain, to Hank and himself give each parent a lei of their own and they were also longer, as Hank's was. From what he could see, she seemed to be explaining something to them and it was then that Mr. and Mrs. Ahern exchanged leis with Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf.

Danny didn't know if it was Hawaiian custom or if it was something that Evelyn dreamed up. He supposed that she wanted to make the day as memorable for every one else as it was for her.

Once the guests were all seated and Hank's brothers had taken theirs, the gathering quieted. With the sound of the surf behind him, Danny waited with his best friend as the groom's parents and the bride's parents walked together down the aisle to the accompaniment of Hawaiian music from a small group Evelyn hired for the occasion.

He watched as her brother John reached forward and patted their father on the shoulder as he and Mrs. Ahern took their seats and then _he_ reached back and put his hand on his son's. It was a gesture that was so much like Danny and his own father and it further rubbed raw the confrontation they'd had that morning. He wanted to talk to Dad but knew that it would probably make the situation worse, so he would have to wait it out. Mr. Ahern then kissed his wife on the cheek, said something to her and stood up. She grasped his hand and smiled before he turned to walk back up the aisle.

His emotions were further rubbed raw as Ann appeared at the open doors and he thought she'd never looked lovelier, except the night of the Big Band dance. He didn't have the chance to appreciate earlier how she looked because her sudden appearance caught him off guard. There was a plumeria flower tucked behind her right ear and it rankled because Hawaiian custom said that if a woman wore a flower behind her left ear, she was married or spoken for. But a flower behind the right ear meant that she was unattached. If he hadn't been such a goon toward her, it would be behind her other ear.

A cream colored, floral patterned dress she wore flattered her. It was floor length and just off her shoulders that showed off her ever present tan. She also wore a lei of white plumeria around her neck and carried a matching bouquet. Her painted toenails peeked out from under the hem as she began to walk down the aisle in open-toed sandals as the small band began to play "Blue Hawaii". Evelyn certainly had decided to embrace everything Hawaiian for her wedding and incorporate as much of the Islands as she could into the event.

While he watched Ann walk toward them, she studiously kept her eyes looking straight ahead and all but ignored him. She did stop for a moment to smile at Hank and then took her place next to the minister.

Evelyn's sudden appearance on the arm of her father elicited a low whistle of appreciation from Hank and the few that heard it laughed softly. His brother Tony shook his head in amusement while his sister-in-law Amy sat next to him looking as though she were trying to stifle a laugh of her own. They then stood with the rest of the guests as Mr. Ahern began the slow walk down the aisle with his daughter.

It was a happy day for the Metcalf's and the Ahern's and Danny couldn't help but feel a little envious. If he'd played his cards right, it might have been _his_ parent's and Ann's together on a day like this one, sometime in the future.

Evelyn Ahern _was_ a vision; any man would have to be blind not to see that. She was wearing the formal she'd worn to the squadron Christmas party and it wasn't lost on Hank because his face turned red with a flush and a smile broke out across his face as he watched her father walk her toward him. In her hair was a crown of plumeria flowers instead of a veil and a matching lei was draped around her shoulders. The look was completed with a bouquet of matching frangipani blossoms.

Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, which Hank told Danny at one time was the way he preferred it.

As Evelyn and her father came to a stop in front of the chaplain, the song concluded and he motioned for the guests to sit down. Mr. Ahern looked happy but a little reluctant to let go of his daughter's arm, but he kissed her cheek and let her go before he stepped back. That was Danny and Ann's cue to turn and face the chaplain with Hank and Evelyn so he could begin the ceremony.

"Friends, we are gathered here together on this glorious day to join as one Henry Mason Metcalf and Evelyn Frances Ahern. To say that their courtship was unorthodox would be an understatement." Hank and Evelyn's parents smiled because they knew how true those words were. "Their feet were set on different paths when Evelyn came here to this beautiful island to work and with such a large base; there wasn't any reason for them to find each other. But God works in mysterious ways and He found a way to bring these two young people together.

"I've had the privilege over these short months to witness for myself the love and devotion Henry and Evelyn obviously feel for the other. I feel privileged and humbled as well that I have the opportunity to join them in marriage today. So I will ask Evelyn's father if it is his wish that his daughter be married to this man."

"It is her mother's and my wish." He replied as he grasped Evelyn's hand for a moment before he returned to his seat next to Evelyn's mother.

"Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf, is it your wish that your son be married to this woman?" He asked them.

"It is." Mr. Metcalf replied with a smile as he answered for his wife.

Danny glanced at Hank and got the sudden feeling he wanted to make a wise crack but knew that he wouldn't, so the chaplain seemed to do it for him. He glanced at Mr. Metcalf and with a straight face replied, "That was the correct answer."

Maybe that was his way of relaxing the nerves of the bride and groom and their parents, but it worked because the small group laughed softly and Danny could see Hank's whole body relax as the chaplain opened his prayer book.

"Lieutenant, you and your lovely bride have come here today to pledge yourselves to the other. You have asked your family and closest friends to bear witness to this pledge. So I ask you, will you take this woman to be your wife for better or for worse, in sickness and in health until you are parted by death?"

Hank grasped Evelyn's hand in his and smiled at her. "I will."

The chaplain nodded his approval and turned to Evelyn. "Young lady, you and your Lieutenant have come here today to pledge yourselves to the other. You have asked your family and closest friends to bear witness to this pledge. So I ask _you_, will you take this man to be your husband for better or for worse, in sickness and in health until you are parted by death?"

She smiled at Hank and Danny couldn't remember when he'd ever seen her look happier. "I will."

"The rings, if you please." The chaplain held his book out and waited as Danny and Ann placed the rings on the open pages. He caught her eye for a moment and she flushed before they stepped back, taking Evelyn's bouquet in her free hand.

"These rings that will be worn by the bride and groom are tangible symbols of the commitment they are making to each other today. They serve as reminders of the vows they take and of the love that stands behind those vows and their commitment.

"Henry, take Evelyn's ring. Place it on the third finger of her left hand and recite your vows."

"Evelyn." He began as he picked up her ring from the prayer book and stopped to clear his throat. He slipped the ring half way up her finger and cleared his throat again. "I give you this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity for as long as we both shall live." And proceeded to nudge it into place.

"Evelyn, please take Henry's ring. Place it on the third finger of his left hand and recite your vows."

"Henry." She picked up his ring from the prayer book. As she slipped in on his finger her voice was barely audible and the breathy quality of it told Danny that she was trying not to cry. "I give you this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity for as long as we both shall live."

The chaplain closed his book. "Henry and Evelyn came here today as two individuals and will leave this ceremony as one. May God grant them both a long, happy and fruitful life together. So, by the power vested in me by the great state of Hawaii and the United States Air Force, I declare that you are now husband and wife.

"Lieutenant Metcalf, you may kiss your bride." He informed them with a smile of his own because the notion that they were suddenly married seemed to stun them and Danny put a hand on Hank's shoulder.

"That's your cue, Henry." He prompted his best friend.

That seemed to shake the new husband out of his state of shock and from Evelyn's reaction, Hank must have been grinning from ear to ear. "Hell's Bell's Ev, we're married!"

She rolled her eyes with a smile and the guests burst out laughing. Ann had a wistful smile on her face and looked as though she might cry.

"That was a very interesting response Lieutenant." The chaplain tried to keep a straight face. "But you haven't kissed her yet."

"Oh, yeah." He answered as he put his arms around Evelyn's waist and she put her arms on his shoulders. It was surely only meant to be a brief kiss, Evelyn's stance seemed to indicate that but the longer they kissed, they seemed to forget that they were in front of a crowd of people and her arms found their way around his neck.

The chaplain took it all in stride and gently cleared his throat. "Son, that's what your wedding night is for."

There was laughter again as Hank finally let go of his new wife and Evelyn's face was flushed. "We have to start this marriage out on the right foot." He said it to her so softly that Danny was surprised he heard it.

"You did that, Lieutenant." Evelyn smiled back and kissed his cheek.

"Ladies and gentlemen." The chaplain raised his hands slightly to get the attention of the guests one last time. "Family and friends, it is my pleasure and my honor to introduce to you Lieutenant and Mrs. Henry Metcalf."

Danny smiled as the families of Hank and Evelyn stood up and applauded. The happiness on the faces of their parents and their brothers made him feel good because they obviously approved of the match. The Hawaiian group began to play again as Ann handed Evelyn's bouquet back to her and kissed her cheek. Danny shook Hank's hand and had to clear his own throat to talk. "You did good Hank."

"Thanks Dan." He replied as Evelyn took his arm and they walked back up the aisle. Danny hesitated to offer Ann his arm, not because he didn't want to feel her touch but because he didn't know how comfortable she would be.

The chaplain settled that however. "Lieutenant, Miss Walker you're next."

Danny offered his arm to Ann and as he predicted she would, took hold of it gingerly. They followed behind the new Mr. and Mrs. and he could feel the tension in Ann's light grip. "I'm sorry." Was all he could think to say. It seemed to be taking forever to get back up the aisle because Hank and Evelyn kept stopping so people could shake their hands or just touch them.

"I know." She said quietly. "I thought you should know that I'm leaving to go back to Ohio for school."

In his shock and surprise, Danny stopped in the middle of the aisle, but the chaplain got him moving again. "Finish this at a later time, son."

"You're just telling me this now?" He wanted to know. "Don't you think I had a right to know?"

They walked into the hotel and the crush of people made it difficult to talk. He gripped her hand so she couldn't let go of his arm and he found a small alcove and pulled her in for some privacy.

She wanted to be anywhere but there with him, he could see it in her face but he wanted to know why she hadn't bothered to tell him.

"We're not dating anymore, in case you've forgotten." Ann reminded him. "I haven't been formally accepted yet, but my advisor doesn't see any reason why I wouldn't be."

He didn't want her to go. "I thought you were going to go back to the University of Hawaii in the fall."

"Danny, I've been thinking about this for awhile. And it finally dawned on me that if I stayed here and tried to go to school, my focus would still be mainly be on you. Even if I lived on campus, which Mama talked Dad into letting me do I'd still be too close to you. If I stay here I won't finish school and it took me a long time to accept that. I love you Danny and I know you love me, in your own way." He sure as hell didn't like the way she qualified his feelings for her. "But if I don't follow through and go to college, I'll always regret it."

"Why not go to Tennessee then? I'd have a better chance of seeing you." He reasoned.

She took a deep breath and seemed to carefully consider what she was about to say. "At this point in time, I don't want you to have a better chance of seeing me. You need to concentrate on getting back in the air and doing the job you were trained for. And you won't do that as long as I'm here because I'm a distraction to you and frankly, you're a distraction to me."

"Lieutenant McCawley?" Tony Metcalf interrupted their conversation and all Danny wanted him to do was go away. "My brother and Evelyn are waiting for the both of you."

A tear began to roll down Ann's cheek and she lightly swiped it away. "I'm sorry we've kept them waiting." And she headed toward the reception.

"Lieutenant, is everything all right?" He seemed genuinely concerned.

Danny sighed. "Things have been better."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I." He replied as the two men headed toward the reception to toast the newlyweds.


	65. Ann Says Goodbye

She didn't know if she should feel disappointed or relieved because he wasn't there to say goodbye to her. But Ann's parents, her sister and brother and the McCawley's _were _there and she was grateful to see so many familiar faces.

Hank wanted to be there as well, but he'd been sent back to Okinawa a couple of days earlier and would be stationed there temporarily with the rest of his squadron. The Air Force wanted them closer to Vietnam to serve in relief to the other squadron's already assigned there, so Evelyn was at the airport for the both of them. Joe hadn't been able to make it either because he was out on assignment for the _Advertiser_.

"I called Mom and Dad this morning and told them to expect you sometime this evening." Mama told her and Ann could see that she was trying valiantly not to cry.

"I talked to the weather boys this mornin' and they told me that it looks like you'll have a good tail wind to San Francisco, so that should cut some of your flyin' time." Dad added as he tried to keep himself pulled together. "So you shouldn't have any trouble catchin' your connectin' flight to Ohio."

"Don't worry Dad. If we're late, I'll call Grandma and Grandpa to let them know and I'll just have to wait for another flight." Ann tried to reassure him.

"You've done this plenty of times, I know." He grinned, with what seemed a lot of effort. "But you ain't makin' a return trip this time and I just want everythin' to go all right."

"Everything is going to be fine Dad." She hugged him and his answering embrace was firm and reassuring. She could never let on to her parents that she was scared out of her wits to be leaving home and her family behind. It wasn't lost on her at that moment how hard it must have been for Sarah and now she fully understood what a brave thing her friend had done by leaving Oahu.

"Is Sarah going to be able to get down to San Francisco to see you?" Mrs. McCawley asked and she seemed to be leaning on Major McCawley. Her pregnancy was just starting to show and Ann regretted that she wouldn't be home to see the newest McCawley born. She also looked tired and _that_ wasn't lost on the major.

"I talked to her last night and she said she'd be waiting for me. She called the airport and they told her there would be a layover of at least an hour and we could have something to eat while I waited for my flight to Ohio."

"If you could give this to her, I would appreciate it." Mrs. McCawley handed her a package. "Tell her I did the best I could, she'll understand."

"Yes, ma'am."

Major McCawley had his arm around his wife's shoulders as she leaned into him. "I'm sorry Danny wasn't here to see you off, but he felt it was probably best. He did want me to tell you good luck with school and if you want to write to him, he'd like to hear from you."

She didn't know what to say and it must have been written all over her face.

"It's all right Annie. If you don't want to write to him for awhile he understands. And frankly if you don't write to him at all, _I_ understand." He added with a slight frown. "That boy of mine made some mistakes with you."

"It isn't all of his fault Major; I encouraged some of it even though I knew better. I've already talked to my parents about all of it and got a well-deserved lecture. The truth is, things just happened too fast and I don't think either of us handled it particularly well." Ann admitted with some embarrassment.

"Thank you for sayin' so honey, but Danny _is_ older and should have known better." The major gave her a small smile as he sighed. "His mother and I had words with him too and he understands how unhappy we are in the way things happened. Nevertheless, I appreciate your honesty and Mrs. McCawley and I hope you're happy bein' able to spend this time with your grandparents and finish school."

Ann couldn't help but smile. "With all due respect Major, I actually need to _start_ school before I can finish."

"Ann." Her parents voiced their disapproval in unison.

"It's all right." The major smiled back. "I understand what she meant."

"Thank you."

"Just make your parents proud and do your best." He added.

"I'll do that sir." She answered.

"Good girl." He nodded his approval. "We _will_ expect an invitation to your graduation when you finish up."

"That's a given Major." Ann told him. "And I _will_ expect you to be there."

"Ann." Her parents chastised her again

"That's a given Annie." He answered her with a laugh. "You know, I can't help but remember how happy your folks were when you came into the world because your mama had a worrisome time during those months she was carryin' you. But when you were finally born, they couldn't have asked for a more healthy and happy baby. You've been a real joy to them Ann."

"Thank you Major." Ann replied with a smile of her own. "I couldn't have asked for better parents or a better place to grow up."

The small group was interrupted with the approach of the stewardess. "Which one of you is flying with us today?"

Ann glanced at her parents and the overwhelming feeling of wanting to stay overcame her, which Dad seemed to sense. "This young lady right here."

She smiled at Ann. "Well then; we're getting ready for takeoff. So if you'll give me your ticket, you can go ahead and get into line with the other passengers."

"Thank you." Ann nodded and turned back to her parents. "I guess this is it."

"Call us when you get into San Francisco." Dad told her. "Let us know if your connectin' flight is late so we can call your grandparents and tell them so you won't have to do it."

"I will." She promised.

"Take care, honey and let us know if you need anythin'." He added.

She nodded and suddenly didn't trust her own voice, then Mama's arms were around her and Ann didn't want her to let go. "Call us when you get settled with your grandparents."

She found herself in her father's embrace and it felt as though _he_ didn't want to let _her_ go. "You'll always be my baby girl."

"It's all for the best Dad, you know that." Ann sighed.

"All of the chicks are leavin' the nest." Was all he said before he kissed her cheek and let her go. "That line seems to be movin', so you should too."

She picked up the travel bag that had everything she would need to keep her occupied on the long flight and Sarah's package was tucked under her arm. "I may not be able to make it home for Thanksgiving, but I will be here for Christmas."

"Don't worry about that honey." Mama reassured her. "We'll be seeing you and my folks for Thanksgiving in Tennessee, remember?"

The thought of it eased her mind because it wouldn't be as long as she thought before she would be able to see her family again. "I'll see you then."

He didn't know how she would feel if she knew he was there, so Danny stayed back where Ann couldn't see him. He watched as she hugged her parents, her brother and sister, the McCawley's and Evelyn. She suddenly looked so grown up, leaving her family and her home and Danny remembered how scared he was when _he_ left Oahu, not sure if he would ever be able to come home again.

The engines were beginning to rev up and he knew her time on Oahu was coming to a close. The stewardess approached the small group again, said something to Ann and he saw her nod. She stepped back and then turned to follow the stewardess to the back of the passenger line.

Her family, his parents and Evelyn stayed while the line slowly moved. In no time it all it seemed, Ann was headed up the stairs and just before she boarded, turned and waved. Everyone waved back and then she disappeared inside.

The last person on board was the stewardess who had come for Ann and after a few minutes, the stairs were rolled away and the door was closed. Mrs. Walker's head dropped to Major Walker's shoulder and he ran his hand across her shoulders as his head came to rest on hers. It was something he and Ann had done and not for the first time, mentally kicked himself for his behavior.

The engines continued to rev and when Danny saw the flaps on the wings drop, he knew it was only a matter of time before the pilot would push the throttle forward and the plane would begin to roll away from the terminal and head toward the runway.

It felt as though a hand were squeezing his heart as he watched the jumbo jet roll away and take Ann away from Oahu, and him. But she really wasn't leaving him because he wasn't hers to leave anymore. He didn't know if he would ever be able to make up to her what had happened between them and wasn't sure if she would ever let him. It was best for now to let her go and get through school and he could concentrate on finally getting back into the air, where he belonged.

"It wasn't easy for her to leave, you know." Danny heard the gentle voice of Hank's bride and looked up. "Her mother and father are having a rough time of it too, even though they try to let on that they aren't."

"Did she get off all right?" He asked, trying to make her believe that he'd just arrived.

"You _kno_w that she did, Dan. I know you well enough to know that you were here the entire time because you didn't want her to leave without seeing her."

"I really blew this." He admitted, knowing that he wouldn't get any sympathy from Evelyn.

"Yes you did. But she's gone now and you have to get on with your life. And without Ann to use as a distraction, it's time that you put your full attention on flying again. You said yourself that there isn't any reason why you can't."

"I have to go talk to someone before the Air Force will reassess my psych evaluation. My doctor says it's past time that I talk about what happened to me when I was shot down. He thinks that it's the one thing that's stopping me from fully healing."

"Then that's what you have to do, Dan. You need to heal and as long as Ann was here, that wasn't going to happen." Evelyn chided him. "She knew that before you did."

"I know."

"Well since you know that, why don't you walk me to my car so I can get home. Henry said that he'd try to call me a couple of days after he got to Okinawa." She said with a flush.

"How does a lowly Lieutenant rate something like that?" Danny couldn't help but smile.

"He doesn't." Evelyn admitted with a laugh. "But a couple of the boys in the Communications unit owe him a favor and he couldn't think of a better way to call it in."

"Only for you Evelyn, only for you." He grinned as she took his arm and he walked her through the terminal and out to her car.

"I never thought Henry Metcalf would make much of a husband and remember feeling sorry for any girl who ended up with him." She confided as they walked. "But in the short time we've been married, he's proved me wrong. Maybe part of it is because he knew our time together would be short before he had to leave and wanted to start things out on the right foot."

"Or maybe it's because he loves you and doesn't want you to ever regret marrying him." Danny answered. "Once Hank made up his mind to pursue you, he knew that he would have to serious up if you were going to _take_ him seriously. And you've discovered by now that he's not always the squadron clown and can be sincere when he needs to be."

"He can." She nodded. "I watched him take off when he left the other day. I'd never done it before we began dating because I didn't want him getting the wrong idea if he heard about it. Then after we did, I didn't want to because it was too hard to watch him leave. I still didn't want to this time around, but I thought that as his wife it was important that I be there for his first flight after our marriage."

"Did he know you'd be there?" Danny asked and then grinned at her reaction when she answered because she flushed again.

"He told me that if I didn't promise to be there, he wouldn't get out of bed and when he'd been declared AWOL, the Air Force would have to come looking for him. And he didn't think that I'd want them to find us in such close quarters."

He laughed. "Forget what I just said about that bonehead being serious."

Evelyn smiled and for some reason seemed to be holding back a laugh. "My answer to that was to tell him that not only would I be there, but he would have to kiss me goodbye in front of your squadron and have to endure the razzing he was sure to get."

"That couldn't have been too difficult."

She sighed. "I said it all in fun, but when it came time for us to really say goodbye I'm not sure whom it was harder on to do so. Maybe now that we're married, things seem so much more urgent than they did before and he kissed me in a way he never had before either."

"That's not too hard to figure out Evelyn." Danny reasoned. "It was the first time he was saying goodbye to his wife and not his girlfriend. I'm sure it's how Dad felt the first time he had to say goodbye to Mama after _they _got married."

"It was a little different for them Dan because your mother was pregnant with you."

"That's true." He agreed. "But they still had to say goodbye just the same."

"I guess I have to start getting used to that." Evelyn mused. "We don't know how much longer this war is going to go on and means that I may not get much of a chance to see my groom."

"But you knew that before you married him and decided to go through with it anyway."

She smiled. "I'm not complaining Dan, honestly I'm not; I'm just facing life as a new Air Force wife. And that new life means that my husband is going to be gone more often than I would like."

Danny couldn't help but think. 

Evelyn seemed to sense what he was thinking because she put a hand on his arm. "If you and Ann are meant to be, it will happen. But for now you have to let her go and concentrate on getting back where you were always meant to be."

"Hank's wingman?" He grinned.

"That too, but you have to get back in the air before that can happen." She smiled back as they reached her car and she opened the driver's door. "And it won't be soon enough for Henry."

"For me either." He answered as Evelyn got into her car and when she was settled, Danny closed her door. "It's time to get things back on track."

"Henry will be glad to hear that." She put the key in the ignition and as the engine turned over she raised her voice. "Do you want me to tell him anything?"

"Tell him to get his sorry butt back here as soon as he can."

"I'll do that." She raised her hand in farewell before she drove away, leaving him alone in the lot.

It was ironic how her life had changed since coming to Oahu for the better and his had changed for the worse since he'd returned. But everything always happened for a reason and his failed relationship with Ann happened for a reason he couldn't understand yet.

But now that she was gone, he had to look ahead to the future and it didn't include her.

THE END. Of this story.


End file.
